Shankar Namkeen & Sweet Bhandar

Shankar Namkeen & Sweet Bhandar is located at 9326/7 in Paharganj. If you know this area, you know how chaotic it is with the narrow lanes and the constant stream of people and rickshaws. Our shop is right in the thick of it. We specialize in namkeen, those salty snacks that people love to have with their tea. We have big glass jars filled with different mixtures like dal moth and gathiya, and we sell them by weight. It’s a noisy place to work because of all the street sounds and horns, but we’ve gotten used to it over the years. We also make sweets, though the namkeen is what most people stop for. The shop is old, and the shelves are a bit worn down at the edges where people lean. We don't bother much with decorations because there isn't really any space for them once the stock is in. Most of our day is spent weighing out bags and chatting with the regulars who pass by. Some customers have been coming to us since they were small kids. We don't have a big corporate office or anything like that. It’s just the shop and the small kitchen area in the back where we fry everything in large iron vats. Sometimes the delivery truck can't get through the narrow lane, and we have to carry the heavy sacks of flour by hand through the crowd. It’s just how things go in Paharganj. We’re just here doing our job, day in and day out, serving anyone who walks in for a snack. It's a busy life but it's what we know.