Diwan Prov & General Store

I’ve been at this shop in Karol Bagh for a long time now. Rani Jhansi Market is always crowded, even early in the morning when the shutters first go up. We get the milk crates delivered first thing, and then the bread comes. Diwan Prov & General Store is basically just a place where you can find what you need for the kitchen without making a big deal out of it. There are bags of flour stacked in the corner and rows of dals in jars. The shelves are pretty high, so I usually have to use a stool to reach the top stuff. Sometimes the floor gets a bit dusty because of all the people walking in from the street, but that is just how it is in this part of town. I know most of the people who come in here. They live nearby and just want their daily stuff without any fuss. We don’t have fancy displays or anything like that. It is mostly just stuff packed together where it fits. Sometimes the lighting is a bit dim in the back, but people find their way. If someone needs a specific brand of soap or a certain type of biscuit, they just ask. It is noisy outside with the traffic and the rickshaws, but inside it is just the sound of the fan and people talking about their day. We keep it simple here. Sometimes we run out of things and have to wait for the next truck to arrive from the wholesaler.