Sri Chowdhary General Merchants

We’re over at 15-2-587 in Maharaj Gunj, right near the Telephone Exchange in the Gowliguda Chaman area of Hyderabad. Sri Chowdhary General Merchants has been a part of this neighborhood for as long as I can remember. We sell all the basic stuff people need for their shops or homes. It’s a general store in the truest sense. The shelves are packed from the floor all the way up to the ceiling with bags of grain, spices, and household goods. It’s a bit of a squeeze to walk through the aisles sometimes because we try to keep so much in stock. Being near the Telephone Exchange makes it easy to tell people where we are, though most of the locals already know. Hyderabad is a busy city, and Maharaj Gunj is right in the thick of it. We spend our mornings opening up the shutters and hauling sacks out to the front. It’s a lot of lifting and carrying. We don't have a computer system that does everything for us; we still use the old ways of keeping track of what’s what. It’s more personal that way, I think. People come in to buy a few things and end up talking about the weather or the price of lentils. We don't try to be anything we aren't. We're just a shop at 15-2-587 trying to keep the community supplied with what they need. It is just daily work for us.