Serawar Stores

Serawar Stores is right there on Kotwali Road in the middle of Azad Market. I’ve been opening the shop every morning for years now, usually around the same time when the tea stalls start their stoves. Bhopal gets pretty loud once the day gets going. This place isn’t anything fancy to look at, just shelves full of stuff that people in the neighborhood need every day. I try to keep things organized but it’s a struggle with so many small items and people moving things around. You get to know the faces after a while. Most of my customers are regulars who live just a few streets over. We talk about the weather or how the prices of everything keep going up. It’s just how it is. Sometimes the shop feels a bit cramped when too many people come in at once, especially in the evenings when everyone is heading home. I don't have a big staff, usually just myself and maybe a nephew helping out when school is closed. We don't use those high-tech billing machines; I still prefer writing things down in my ledger because it feels more real to me. The fans hum all day long to keep the heat away, but you still feel the Bhopal sun. It’s a lot of work standing on your feet all day, but it’s what I know. We just stay open until the market starts to quiet down and then head home.