Ambika Stores

Our shop, Ambika Stores, is right in the Astodia Chakla area of Ahmedabad. It’s one of those old parts of the city where the lanes are tight and the buildings are close together. We’ve been here for a long time. The shop is small and filled with bags of grains and various household items. We sell things like soaps, oils, and basic groceries. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint, but we are always too busy to get to it. In the afternoons, the heat in Ahmedabad can be quite something, so we keep the fan running at full speed. Most of our customers are neighbors who walk over from the nearby houses. We talk about the local news or how the prices of things are going up. It’s a very informal place. We don’t have a fancy counter, just a wooden table where we do the weighing. The children from the area come in for small treats. We keep those near the front so they can see them easily. It’s a simple business. We get our supplies from the wholesale market nearby. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get the rickshaw through the narrow gates of Astodia, but we manage. It’s just how life is in this part of town. We stay open until late evening and then walk home. It’s a quiet, steady routine we’ve had for years. We also keep a few types of tea leaves and incense sticks for the evening prayers in the homes nearby. People sometimes stop by just to drink a glass of cold water.