Sri Ganpati General Store

Up in Hirapur, Dhanbad, there is a lot of movement on Pandil Clinic Road. Sri Ganpati General Store is situated right in the Subham Apartment building. It’s a convenient spot for the people living in the flats above to just walk down and grab what they need. We have a variety of things, from snacks and biscuits to washing powders and soaps. The shop floor is tiled, and I try to keep it clean, though footprints are unavoidable with the red soil of Dhanbad. We have a few refrigerators for cold drinks and milk, which hum loudly in the quiet moments. The clinic nearby means we often get people coming in for a bottle of water or some tissues while they wait. The shelves are filled with colorful packages of different brands. I usually spend my time rearranging things so everything stays within reach. We don’t use any complicated software for our sales; it’s all manual work. The street outside can get quite muddy when it rains, and we have to put out a mat so people don’t slip. It’s a simple life running a store like this. We know the milkman by name and the local kids who come for a single piece of candy. The apartment residents are our main crowd. We just keep the shelves full and the door open from morning until the lights in the building start going off.