Siwani Kirana Store

Khasgi Bazar is one of those places in Gwalior that always feels crowded, and Siwani Kirana Store is right in the thick of it. The streets are narrow and you have to be careful not to get bumped by a passing cycle or a rickshaw. Our shop is old-fashioned, with heavy wooden shutters that take two people to pull up in the morning. Inside, it’s a bit cramped because we try to stock as much as possible to keep the customers happy. We have rows of jars filled with pulses, lentils, and different kinds of salt. The smell of raw grains is very strong here. We spend a lot of time weighing things on the electronic scale and putting them into small plastic bags. It’s hard work on the back, standing all day, but we are used to it by now. The customers here are very picky and they like to check the quality of the rice before they buy it. We have a small radio that plays the local news or some old songs while we work. The walls are covered with old calendars from years ago that we never bothered to take down. It gets very hot in the afternoons, so we usually take a small break when the market slows down for a bit. We don't have any fancy displays, just the goods stacked up where people can see them easily. It’s just a regular grocery store for the local people.