Art Rice

Raviwar Peth is always crowded, and our shop is right in the middle of it on Ramdev Galli. It is a tight street, especially near Novelty Stores. We handle rice here every day. The bags are heavy and stacked high against the walls. You can smell the grain as soon as you walk in. It is a bit noisy with all the people walking past and the two-wheelers squeezing through the lane. We have been at this spot for quite a while now. Some mornings are slow, and we just drink tea while waiting for the first customer. Then it picks up, and we are lifting bags and weighing things out until the sun goes down. It is dusty work, and our clothes usually have a bit of white powder on them by noon. We do not have much room to move around inside because of all the stock. We just keep the different types of rice in their sections. People come from different parts of the city just to buy what they need for the week. My hands are usually rough from handling the gunny bags all day. It is honest work, and we like being in this part of town. The market has its own rhythm, and we are just a small piece of it. We do not really do much advertising; people just know we are here next to the other shops. It stays busy on weekends especially when the families come out to stock up on their groceries.