Babu Lal Store

Babu Lal Store is tucked away in Gali No 2 in Ballabhgarh. The shop is officially Shop No 103, located in Chawla Colony, which is part of Sector 6 in Faridabad. It’s a bit of a maze in these streets if you aren't from around here. Life in Chawla Colony is pretty straightforward. I open up early in the morning, and the first thing I do is sweep the front step. Gali No 2 can be quiet at times, but then it gets busy with people heading out to work or kids playing. The store has been here in Ballabhgarh for a while. It’s a small place, so I have to be careful about where I put every single box. If I put things in the wrong spot, I can't find them later when someone is waiting. Sector 6 has a lot of houses, so most of the people who come in are neighbors. We talk about the weather or the local news while I pack their things. The ceiling fan in the shop makes a clicking sound that I’ve stopped noticing. I keep a ledger for everything, writing it down by hand at the end of the day. It’s a lot of standing on my feet, but that’s how it is. When the evening comes, the lights in the lane are dim, but Shop No 103 stays bright until I pull the shutters down for the night. I check the locks twice before walking home down the alley.