Singhal Kirana Store

Singhal Kirana Store is tucked away at C-103-B in Sector 39. It is a small grocery shop, the kind you find in many neighborhoods. We have bags of flour and rice sitting on the floor because there isn't enough room on the shelves. The air smells like a mix of open spices, soap, and maybe a bit of tobacco from the small packs we keep behind the counter. It is a tight squeeze if more than three people are inside at once. I usually spend the mornings checking what we ran out of the night before and making a list for the wholesaler. We sell everything from loose sugar to bottled oil. The fridge in the corner hums quite loudly, but it keeps the milk and curd cold enough. Most of our customers are the people who live in the blocks right around us. They come in for a single loaf of bread or just a handful of chilies. We keep a notebook for the regulars who pay at the end of the month. It's nothing special to look at, just a basic store with yellowing walls and a fan that squeaks a little when it is on high speed. We stay open even when it is raining hard because people always need something at the last minute for dinner. It is a long day standing on our feet, but that is just how the kirana business goes.