Anandamela Hotel & Restaurant

Down in Uluberia, Howrah, we are tucked away in the Bazar Para area. This is a real market neighborhood, so it’s always crowded with vendors and people buying their daily groceries. Our building is a mix of a hotel and a restaurant, which means there is always someone coming or going. The rooms upstairs are basic, and we spend a lot of time changing sheets and making sure the fans are working. Downstairs in the restaurant part, the kitchen starts up early to get things ready for the morning crowd. It can get pretty hot and humid here in Howrah, and our kitchen definitely feels it. We don't have any fancy decor or modern furniture. Most of the tables are old and the walls show their age a bit, but they are sturdy. We have a few regular customers from the bazar who come in every single day. We know their names and what they like, which makes the work more pleasant. The noise from the bazar outside is constant, with people shouting prices and bells ringing. It’s a bit chaotic but that’s just the atmosphere of Bazar Para. We do our best to keep things clean, though it’s a constant battle with the dust from the street. We’re just local people running a local business, trying to make sure the guests have a place to stay and the diners have something to eat. It's a lot of work but it’s what we do here.