Rathore Provision Store

We are right at Tejaji KA Chowk in Bijolion. It's the kind of shop where everyone stops by for something they forgot at the big market. We sell everything from lentils and rice to soap and matches. The shelves are packed pretty tight, and I usually know exactly where the last packet of biscuits is hiding. The chowk is always busy with people talking and cows wandering past. We open early in the morning because that’s when the women come out to buy milk and bread. It’s a small place, so if more than three people come in at once, it feels crowded. I’ve spent most of my life behind this counter. You get to hear all the local gossip, who is getting married, or whose son got a job in the city. We don't use a computer for the bills, just a notepad and a pen. It works fine for us. Sometimes we run out of something and I have to tell people to come back tomorrow. The stone floors stay cool even when it’s boiling outside, which is a blessing. We have a big jar of colorful candies right by the scale for the kids. The shop smells like a mix of dried spices and washing soap. We have a small wooden ladder to reach the top shelves where we keep the bigger bags of flour. Sometimes the neighbor's cat comes in and sits on the counter until I shoo it away. People in Bijolion are mostly farmers, so they appreciate that we stay open a bit later if they are stuck.