Navkar Indian Spices

Navkar Indian Spices is tucked away in the Janpath Complex, not far from the Nehru Bridge. Being near the bridge means we get a lot of people passing by on their way to work or back home. You can usually tell where we are before you even see the sign because the air around our shop smells like cumin, coriander, and red chili powder. We spend a lot of our time weighing out spices and sealing them into small bags. The shelves are packed with jars and containers of all different colors. It’s a bit of a dusty job, and by the end of the shift, our clothes usually have a faint yellow tint from the turmeric. We’ve been here for a while, and we know many of the families who come in to stock up for their kitchens every month. We don’t do any fancy packaging; it’s mostly just clear bags and simple labels. The Janpath Complex itself is an older building, so it has its quirks, but it’s a good spot for us. We try to keep things simple and just focus on getting the best spices we can find from the markets. Sometimes we have to spend hours sorting through raw seeds to make sure there are no stones or dirt left in them. It’s slow work, but it’s the only way to do it right. We just open up, fill the bags, and talk to the regulars.