Raghavendra Provision Store

We are right by the Hanuman Garhi Mandir in Ayodhya, near the bus stand. It’s a very busy part of Nazar Bag. There’s always noise from the buses and people walking to the temple. Our store is small but we pack a lot into it. You’ll find bags of rice, lentils, and all the usual kitchen stuff stacked up to the ceiling. It can be a bit tight when more than three people are inside at once. I spend a lot of time on my feet. My back usually aches by the evening, but that’s normal for this kind of work. We get a lot of travelers coming from the bus stand looking for water or snacks. Then there are the locals who come for their weekly grains. I’ve lived here a long time, so I know most of the families by their first names. We don’t have fancy scanners or anything. We just weigh things out and write it in the book. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we have to use candles or a torch to find the right spice packets in the dark. It gets hot in the summer months because of the tin roof over the front. We just drink a lot of tea and keep going. It’s a simple life. We make sure the jars are full and the floor is mostly clean. There’s always something to do, like checking the lids or reordering the flour. It’s just a regular shop doing its thing every day.