Islam General Store

If you are walking down Bhaga Road in Jharia, you’ll see us near Phulari Bag. The area has changed a bit over the years, but the store stays mostly the same. We have a lot of containers filled with different things, from pulses to little candies that the school kids like. It’s usually me or one of the boys standing here throughout the day. The fan above the counter makes a clicking noise, but I’ve gotten used to it. We get the stock delivered every few days, and then the whole place gets crowded with boxes until we find a spot for everything. People in Dhanbad are usually in a hurry, so we try to find what they want quickly. Near Phulari Bag, it stays quite lively even in the evenings. We don't use a computer for billing or anything, just a notebook and a pen for keeping track of things. Sometimes the neighborhood kids come in just to ask for the time or to look at the new toys we put out near the front. The floor is old stone and it stays cool even when it's hot outside. We don't spend money on advertising because everyone around here already knows where we are. It’s just a place to buy your daily groceries and maybe a bottle of cold soda if the sun is too much. That’s how we’ve always done things here, just keeping things simple and functional for the folks nearby.