Hiralal Ashok Kumar Kanted

People know this area of Bangalore pretty well, especially around New Tharagpet. Our shop, Hiralal Ashok Kumar Kanted, sits right in 118 Vardhaman Garden. It is usually quite busy out there on the street. We’ve been operating from this same spot for a long time now. Most mornings start early with getting the shutters up and seeing who is already waiting outside. It’s a family-run place, so you will often see a few of us sitting around, handling the books or talking to people who walk in. The building itself has seen better days, but it is sturdy and holds everything we need it to. Sometimes the traffic in Bangalore makes it hard for deliveries to reach us on time, but we manage somehow. We are not a big fancy office with glass doors and air conditioning. It is more of a place where you come in, find what you need, and have a quick chat while the paperwork is getting sorted out. Most of our neighbors are also in trade, so there is a lot of back and forth all day long. We keep the fans running high because it gets stuffy with all the stock piled up. It is just a regular way of making a living, keeping the shelves full and making sure the address stays the same for years to come. It’s nothing too complicated, just us working every day and hoping the rain doesn’t leak through the front door when the monsoon hits hard.