Nandini Milk Parlour

Our parlour is on Gandhi Road in Malleshwaram. This part of town has a very old-fashioned feel. The street is always busy with people going to the temples or the market. We have our milk crates stacked up right by the entrance. The shop is quite narrow and we have to be careful not to bump into things. We start our day when it’s still dark outside. The morning air in Malleshwaram is usually full of the smell of incense and flowers from the nearby stalls. We serve a lot of people who have been living in this area for decades. They like their routine and we are part of it. We keep the fridge stocked with milk, curd, and buttermilk. Sometimes we have a bit of a line out the door, especially on festival days. We don't have a computer, just a small book to keep track of the daily sales and some loose change in a plastic tray. The walls are a bit yellowed and we have a few pictures of gods hung up near the ceiling. It gets quite noisy with the buses passing by on Gandhi Road. We just stay behind the counter and help whoever walks in. It’s a simple life and we’ve been doing it for years now. The fan on the ceiling doesn't do much, but we're used to the heat. We usually share some news with the regulars about what’s happening on the street while they wait.