Gangaram Pannalal Pansari

Madar Gate is always loud, even early in the morning. We open up Gangaram Pannalal Pansari when the sun is just coming up over the old buildings. Most of the day is spent just moving bags around or checking what came in on the last truck. There’s a lot of dust that settles on the wooden counters, so we wipe it down, but it usually comes back by noon. People come in and ask for things we’ve had on the shelves for years. Some days are slow and we just sit on the stools and watch the traffic go by. It’s not fancy here. The walls could use some paint and the ledger books are getting thick. We’ve been at this spot for a long time now. You get used to the smell of spices and the way the floorboards creak when someone walks to the back. Sometimes the lightbulb flickers and we have to give it a tap. It’s just how things are at Madar Gate. We keep the stock piled up high because there isn’t much storage space elsewhere. I usually spend my afternoons counting out change or writing down what we need to order for next week. If it rains, the water drips a bit near the front door, so we put a bucket there. It’s a simple rhythm of life, really. No one is in a huge rush unless it's a festival time. Then it's just chaos until we close the shutters at night.