Vijay Provision & General Store

If you walk into our store in Sector 20 C, the first thing you notice is the smell of open sacks of rice and different kinds of lentils. We have been running this general store for years, and it’s packed from floor to ceiling with everything from soap bars to bags of flour. It is a bit of a squeeze to walk through the aisles because we try to keep as much stock as possible on the shelves. We start early in the morning, taking deliveries from the trucks and dragging heavy crates inside before the sun gets too high. There is always someone coming in for a last-minute loaf of bread or a bottle of cooking oil. We know most of the people who live nearby, seeing them every week when they come to fill up their kitchens. The floor is made of old stone that has been swept so many times it feels smooth under your boots. We don't have a fancy computer system; we mostly just write things down or remember the prices by heart. Sometimes the cat from next door wanders in and we have to shoo it away from the grain bins. It’s a lot of standing on your feet and reaching for jars on high shelves. When the evening rush hits, it gets pretty loud with everyone talking at once, but we just keep bagging things up until it’s time to close.