Deepak Kirana

Deepak Kirana sits right where Bhongadwar Road meets Water Works Road here in Jabalpur. It’s a busy corner, especially with the Dhobhighat area being so close. You can hear the sounds of the city all day long from the shop front. We’ve got a bit of everything stacked up on the shelves, from soaps to sacks of rice. Some days the dust from the road gets everywhere, so we spend a lot of time cleaning things off. It’s a local spot where people from around the Water Works come when they realize they forgot something for their kitchen. The shop isn't some big supermarket, it's just a regular place where you can grab what you need and head home. My hands are usually busy weighing out sugar or counting out change. Jabalpur weather can be tough, either too hot or too rainy, but the shop stays open regardless. We see the same families every week. Kids come in after school looking for small treats, and the older folks come by for their tea leaves. It’s just how life goes in this part of town. We don’t have any fancy displays or anything like that. Just wooden counters and a lot of stock piled up high. It’s a bit cramped inside, but we know where everything is located, even if it looks a bit messy to someone else. It gets dark early in the winter, so we keep the overhead lights on to make the place feel a bit more welcoming for anyone passing by.