Pancheel Kirana

Operating Pancheel Kirana in Harshwardhan Nagar keeps us busy throughout the week. Our shop is just a simple place where we sell groceries and household stuff. In Bhopal, the weather can get really hot, so we spend a lot of time making sure the drinks stay cool in the fridge. Most of our day is spent weighing out things like loose sugar or lentils into small plastic bags. It’s a repetitive job, but it has to be done. We get all sorts of people coming in. Some just want a single matchbox, while others come with a long list for the whole month. We don't really have a fancy system for tracking everything; we mostly just keep an eye on the shelves and see what’s running low. The space inside is a bit tight because we try to carry a lot of different brands of tea and biscuits. There is always a faint smell of spices in the air here. We don't have any big signs or bright lights. It’s just the name on the front and the items inside. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we have to use a handheld fan while waiting for it to come back. Living and working in the same area means we see our neighbors every day. We know who likes which brand of soap and who prefers a specific kind of rice. The shop is open most days and we just do our best to keep things moving along.