C.Eshwaraiah Grain & Kirana Merchant

Down in Mahbood Gunj, things are a bit different than a regular small shop. We are located at shop number 15-9-482 in Siddiamber Bazar, which is a place known for its trade. My shop, C.Eshwaraiah Grain & Kirana Merchant, deals a lot with the bigger bags of things. We have piles of grain and different types of rice stacked up. It smells like earth and spices in here most of the time. People come to us when they want to buy in larger quantities for their homes or even for small ceremonies. It’s hard work moving the heavy sacks around, especially when the weather is humid. My hands are usually covered in a bit of dust from the grains by the time noon rolls around. We’ve been part of this market for a long time, and we know how the prices for pulses go up and down. It’s a noisy area with carts and trucks constantly moving through the narrow streets. You have to shout sometimes just to be heard over the traffic outside. We don't have a glass front or any air conditioning, just the open door and the wooden counter where I sit and write out the bills. It’s an old-fashioned way of doing things, but it works for us and our customers. We make sure the quality of the lentils and rice is decent before we put them out for sale every single morning.