Maa General Store

Maa General Store sits right on the Main Road in Hirapur, and if you know Dhanbad, you know how busy that can get. The noise of the horns never really stops until very late at night. I usually start my day by checking if the milk delivery was on time. If it’s late, the morning crowd gets a bit restless. The shop itself isn't very wide, so I have to stack the bags of flour and sugar quite high against the wall. You have to be careful not to trip over the sacks of potatoes near the entrance. I’ve lived in Dhanbad - 826001 all my life, and running this store feels like being part of the furniture. I know most of the people who walk through the door by their first name or at least by what they usually buy. The ceiling fan has a slight wobble that I’ve been meaning to fix for months now, but somehow I never get around to it. In the monsoon, the rain splashes in a bit, so I have to move the cardboard boxes further back. Dealing with change is the biggest headache, as no one ever seems to have the right amount of coins. I keep a jar of small candies to give out instead of one-rupee coins. It's just how things work here on Main Road. There’s no point in rushing anything.