Ramavtar Kirana Marchant

Over here in Palwal, we run Ramavtar Kirana Marchant. It is a bit different from a small corner shop because we handle things in larger quantities. You will see a lot of big bags of grain and pulses stacked up high near the entrance. I’ve been a merchant for a long time, and I’ve seen how the local market changes. Some days the price of sugar or oil goes up and we have to explain that to every single person who walks in. It is a lot of paperwork and keeping track of who owes what in my big ledger book. We sell to individual families and sometimes to smaller shops too. The floor is usually a bit dusty from all the flour and grains moving around, but that’s just how a merchant shop is. We don’t have a lot of decorations on the walls. Mostly just some old calendars and a few shelves for the smaller items like spices. People come to us when they want to buy for the whole month or a big event. It takes time to pack everything up into bags, so people often sit on the wooden bench outside while we get their order ready. I have a couple of guys who help with the heavy lifting because my back isn't what it used to be anymore. We just try to keep the stock fresh and the prices fair for the local people in Palwal who depend on us for their supplies.