Lata Kirana

The shop is right here in Harshwardhan Nagar, Bhopal, and it’s been that way for quite some time now. Mostly, we just keep the things people need every day like flour, lentils, and those small packets of spices that everyone uses for their cooking. It isn't a very large space, so things can get a bit crowded when we get a big delivery of rice bags or cartons of oil. I try to keep everything organized on the wooden shelves, but sometimes the labels face the wrong way or things get pushed to the back. People from the nearby houses come in all the time. Sometimes they just want a single loaf of bread or a packet of biscuits to go with their morning tea. It gets quite hot in Bhopal during the summers, so the ceiling fan is always humming in the background. We don't have any fancy lights or big signs. It’s just a regular kirana shop where you can hear the sounds of the street outside. I spend a lot of my day just sitting behind the counter and waiting for the next person to walk in. Sometimes the neighborhood kids come in with a few coins for some sweets. It’s a simple way of living, really. You get to know everyone's name and what they usually buy on a Monday morning. There’s always a bit of dust from the road, but that’s just how it is around here.