Sanderaowala Spices

Sanderaowala Spices is tucked away at A-1 Rajaji Estate. If you know the Asarwa area, you know how it gets near the railway crossing. The heavy trains go by and the whole place shakes a little bit. We’ve all gotten used to it by now. The smell of the ground spices is the first thing you notice when you walk in. It stays in your hair and your clothes all day long. My wife says she can still smell the cumin on me even after I’ve showered. We spend a lot of time weighing things out on the old mechanical scale. It’s not one of those digital ones, but it works just fine for us. The bags are stacked high against the brick walls. Sometimes a bag of red chili powder tears and then everyone in the shop is sneezing for an hour. It’s a bit chaotic but it’s just how we do things here. Being near the Asarwa Railway Crossing means there's always a bit of dust in the air, so we have to keep everything covered up tight. The estate itself is getting old. The walls could probably use a new coat of paint, but we’re usually too busy with the orders to worry about stuff like that. We have a small electric kettle for tea that’s always on. Neighbors from the other units in Rajaji Estate come over sometimes just to chat for a few minutes. We’ve been here long enough that we know everyone’s name and what they need.