Open Window Bakery

The morning starts early at Nehrunagar, usually before the sun is even fully up. We’re in the Bank of India building on Satellite Road, and the first thing we do is get the ovens going. You can see the people waiting for buses across at Ocean Park while we’re still moving trays around in the back. The air in here always feels a bit heavy with the smell of yeast and flour, which sticks to your clothes by the end of the day. Our display cases are glass, so we have to spend a lot of time cleaning off fingerprints from kids who lean against them. The floor behind the counter is a bit uneven, and you have to be careful not to trip when you’re carrying a heavy load. Satellite Road is always packed with cars, so there is a constant hum of engines in the background. We don't have any place for people to sit, just enough room for them to stand and pick out what they want. The shelves are wooden and a bit worn at the edges from years of sliding pans in and out. It’s a simple routine that doesn't change much from Monday to Sunday. We just keep our heads down and focus on the timers and the temperature of the room. Sometimes we run out of things earlier than expected, and other days we have leftovers that we don't know what to do with. That's just how the bakery business works in this part of Ahmedabad.