Gayatri Pan Palace & General Stores

Being right in the Main Market on Bijolion Bhilwara Road means there is never a quiet moment. Gayatri Pan Palace & General Stores is where I spend most of my life, honestly. We sell everything from little packets of biscuits to the pan we make right there at the small counter. It’s a mix of a lot of things. One minute I’m handing over a bar of soap, and the next I’m wrapping up a betel leaf for someone who’s been coming here for twenty years. The market can be a mess on weekends with all the cattle and the scooters fighting for space. We’ve got shelves stacked high, sometimes too high because I can’t always reach the top one without a stool. My kids say I should organize it better, but I know where every single thing is kept. It’s a bit cramped inside, especially when three or four people walk in at once. The light isn't the best in the back, but we make do. We don't have a big staff, just me and occasionally a nephew. It’s a basic shop for basic needs. Sometimes the power goes out in the afternoon and we just sit outside on the steps and talk to the neighbors. That’s what happens when you're in the main market, you know everyone who walks past. It's just how the days go by for us here as we keep the doors open.