Radhaswami General Stores

This shop is located in the Ghanshyam Shopping Centre in Meghani Nagar. It’s been here for a long while now. We are right across from the Ram temple, so we hear the bells every morning and evening during the prayers. That’s how I track the time mostly. Ahmedabad gets very dry and dusty, so there’s always a thin layer of dust on the top shelves that I have to wipe down every few days. Radhaswami General Stores isn't some huge supermarket with bright lights. It’s just a room filled with stuff people need for their daily lives and kitchens. We have bags of rice piled up near the entrance and smaller items like matches, candles, and incense sticks near the counter. The counter is topped with a piece of thick glass that has a small crack in the corner from five years ago. I put some clear tape over it and just left it like that. People come in, complain about the prices of cooking oil going up, and I just nod my head because what can I do about it. We talk about the weather or the local news while I weigh out the dal for them. Sometimes kids come in with a few coins for some candy, and they take forever to choose what they want. It’s fine, I’m not in any rush. The back room is where I keep the extra stock, and it’s a bit of a squeeze to get through the narrow door. It’s a quiet life here in the 380001 area. Just selling things and watching the world go by from my front step.