Janatha Stores

Janatha Stores is located at 54 Kengal Hanumanthaiah Road, right near the busy Lalbagh Road area. It is an old building and the shop has that classic feel with high ceilings and wooden counters that have been rubbed smooth over the decades. We stock all the regular stuff—dal, rice, spices, and household cleaners. The morning sun hits the front window and shows all the dust motes dancing in the air. I spend most of my time behind the counter, weighing out pulses into small bags. The ceiling fans are old and wobble a bit when they are on the highest setting. We have a lot of regular customers who have been coming here since they were children. It is a busy junction outside, and the noise of the horns never really stops until very late at night. Sometimes the delivery trucks have a hard time parking nearby because the street is so narrow and packed with cars. We have a small ladder we use to reach the top shelves where we keep the items that don't sell as fast, like the big tins of oil. The floor is made of old stone slabs that stay relatively cool even in the middle of summer. I keep the accounts in a thick cloth-bound book, using a pen that I keep tucked behind my ear. It is a simple life running this store, just keeping the inventory moving and talking to the people from the neighborhood.