Balaji Beauty Parlour General Stores

Our shop in Murad Nagar is tucked away in Kali Gali. It’s a bit of an unusual setup because we have the beauty parlour on one side and a general store on the other. It happened that way because people kept asking for things like soap or snacks while they were waiting for their hair to be done. So now we just sell a bit of everything. You’ll see bottles of shampoo next to packets of biscuits sometimes. The Kali Gali area is usually bustling, and our shop is no different. On some days, it’s mostly kids coming in for sweets, and on other days, the parlour chairs are full all afternoon. I run the place with my sister. She mostly handles the threading and hair styling while I look after the store side and keep the shelves stocked. It’s a small place, so it gets a bit cramped when more than three or four people are inside. We don’t have any air conditioning, just a couple of fans that we keep running all day to deal with the heat. It’s a simple life, honestly. We open up early in the morning and stay until the street gets quiet at night. People from the neighborhood just stop by to chat even if they aren't buying anything. It’s just how things are around here in Murad Nagar.