Parvesh Karyana Store

Our store is in Rani Ka Bagh, which is a nice enough area. Having the park nearby means there’s a bit of greenery to look at when I stand outside the door. It’s a small shop, number four in the block. We deal in the usual grocery stuff. I spend my mornings checking the dates on the milk and bread. You have to be careful with that. The shelves are a bit mismatched because we added them one by one as we needed more space. It doesn’t look like a supermarket, but it has what people need for their daily meals. The neighborhood is quiet in the afternoons, so I usually take that time to reorganize the spice packets. They always get messy because people like to pick them up and put them back in the wrong place. I don’t mind it much. I’ve lived in Amritsar all my life and this shop is what I know. Sometimes a kid comes in with a coin for a single piece of candy, and it reminds me of when I was little. We keep the floor swept, but with the wind blowing through the park, some leaves always find their way in. It’s a simple routine. Open the lock, turn on the lights, and wait for the first customer of the day to ask for a packet of tea. Sometimes I sit on a stool outside and just breathe the air for a minute before the evening rush starts.