Hari Om Mishthan Bhandar

Nala Bazar is a narrow place. It’s always crowded with people walking and bikes trying to squeeze through the gaps. Hari Om Mishthan Bhandar is right in the middle of that squeeze. We’re in the Ragigya part of Nala Bazar. The shop is small, so we have to be careful with how we move around. If two people are in the back cooking, it’s a tight fit. We start the day by cleaning everything. The drains and the streets are right there, so we have to be extra careful about keeping the shop tidy. It’s a lot of scrubbing. We make our sweets in small lots because we don't have the space for big storage. It means things are usually fresh, which is a good thing. The steam from the boiling milk makes the walls a bit damp. We have an old fan that squeaks, but it helps with the heat. People coming through the bazar often stop because they smell the frying. We serve them on little pieces of paper or in small boxes. There’s no place to sit down, so they just eat while they walk or stand off to the side. It’s a busy life. Sometimes it feels like the whole town is passing by our door. We just keep our heads down and stay busy with the ladles and the pans. When it’s finally time to close the doors, the bazar is still noisy. We just head home.