Kishanlal Balaram

Begum Bazar is a place where you have to be tough to survive the day. Our shop is at 15-7-397, right in the middle of all the chaos. It’s one of the oldest markets in Hyderabad. If you come here, you’ll see narrow lanes and thousands of people moving things on carts. Our space is packed from floor to ceiling with stock. It’s a bit dark inside because the buildings are so close together. We use old wooden ladders to reach the top shelves. There’s no fancy display here. It’s just rows and rows of goods. My family has been doing this for generations. We know most of the other shopkeepers around us. We share tea and complain about the traffic together. The heat in the summer is something else, especially when the fans are just pushing hot air around. We don't have a website or a social media page. Most people find us because their fathers or grandfathers bought from us. It’s a lot of lifting and counting. We start early before the sun is too hot and we don't leave until the shutters are down and the accounts are settled. It’s a simple way of doing business, based on knowing people and having the right stuff in stock when they show up. We are just ordinary folks working hard in a crowded city. It’s noisy and dusty but this is our life.