Sri Balaji Jagdish Kirana

I usually open the shutters here at Sri Balaji Jagdish Kirana around seven in the morning because that is when the first few people start heading to the Hyder Guda bus stop. We are situated right there in the Abids area of Hyderabad, and it gets quite loud with all the buses pulling in and out throughout the day. The shop itself is not very big, but we try to keep the shelves packed with the basic things most families around here need for their kitchens. You will find bags of rice stacked near the back and various lentils in those clear plastic containers so people can see what they are getting. Sometimes the dust from the road gets inside, so I spend a good amount of time wiping down the biscuit packets and oil tins. It is mostly just me or one of the boys standing behind the wooden counter. We know most of the people who live in the nearby lanes by their first names or just by what they usually buy every Tuesday or Wednesday. There is no fancy lighting or anything like that here, just a couple of tube lights and a big fan that rattles a bit when it is on full speed. When the evening rush starts, it can get a little cramped inside if more than three people are standing at the counter at once, but we manage to get everyone their sugar or tea powder fast enough so they can catch their ride home.