Shiv Shankar General Store

Down in Bajwa Deepanji Nagar, Mysore, you can find the Shiv Shankar General Store. It is a quiet neighborhood and my shop is right in the middle of it. I have been running this place for many years now. It is a general store, so I try to stock a bit of everything from biscuits to batteries. The shelves go all the way up to the ceiling because I don't have much floor space. I use a long wooden pole with a hook on the end to get things down from the top. It is an old-fashioned way of doing things but it works for me. My regulars are the people living in the houses right next to me. We talk about the weather or the price of vegetables while I weigh out their pulses. I don't have a big sign or bright lights. Just the name painted on the board above the door. In the afternoons, when it is quiet, I sit on a stool and watch the street. Sometimes kids come in for a single piece of candy. It is a very simple life here. I keep a ledger for the people who pay at the end of the month. It is based on trust. Mysore is a nice city, and this part of Bajwa is where I feel at home. The shop isn't fancy, but it has what the local families need for their kitchens every day and that is enough.