Parasnaath Sweet & Namkeen Bhandar

The Sabzi Mandi here in Jheel Khurenja is never quiet, not even in the early hours before the sun is fully up. We are at number 469 and it’s a tight squeeze with all the vegetable carts and people pushing through. Parasnaath Sweet & Namkeen Bhandar has been part of this noise for a long time. Every morning starts the same way with the big pans getting heated up and the smell of oil filling the small space. It gets sweaty and loud, especially when the market is at its peak. We don't have much room for fancy decorations or big signs. The walls have some marks from years of work and the counters are always covered with trays of whatever we just finished making. Most of the guys working here live nearby, so they just walk in and start their shift. We see the same faces every day, people who live in Jheel Kurenja and stop by on their way home from the market. It’s a messy, busy life but it’s what we know. We don't try to be anything we aren't. If the namkeen is hot and the sweets are ready, that’s a good day for us. Sometimes we run out of things early and sometimes we’re sitting here late cleaning up the floor and washing the big pots. It’s just a local shop in a crowded market, nothing more to it than that really.