Arihant Plastic

Being right by Dinghata Station means the whole day is timed by the trains. At Arihant Plastic, you can hear the whistle before you see the engine. Whenever a train pulls in, a wave of people comes past the door. I have buckets and tubs stacked up outside to catch their eye. Most of the plastic is bright colors—reds, blues, and yellows—which makes the shop look a bit cheerful even on rainy days. Dinghata isn’t a huge place, so everyone kind of knows where we are. The shop itself is just a simple space with high ceilings where I can stack chairs all the way up. I spend a lot of time dragging things out in the morning and hauling them back in at night. My back usually aches a little by the time the last train leaves. The floor is mostly covered in plastic wrap and bits of cardboard from the new deliveries. I don't bother with fancy displays; I just put things where they fit. It gets hot under the tin roof in the afternoon, so I usually stand near the entrance where it's cooler. It's a bit of a loud life with the station right there, but you get used to the noise after a week or two. I like the rhythm of it, the constant moving of goods and the people coming and going.