Maa Bhagwati Kirana Store

Maa Bhagwati Kirana Store sits on Iti Road in the Vijay Nagar Colony of Jabalpur, right across from the ISBT stand. Having the bus stand so close means there is never a quiet moment with all the horns and people shouting for tickets. The shop is mostly filled with the smell of spices and the dust from the road. We sell the usual kirana items like grains, soap, and tea, but we also keep snacks and cold drinks for the travelers who are waiting for their buses. My day usually starts with dragging the heavy shutters up and checking the milk delivery. The shelves are pretty high, so I spend a lot of time on a small stool reaching for things. It is a practical place, nothing fancy about the walls or the floor, just a lot of bags piled up in the back. Jabalpur can get quite cold in the winter and very hot in the summer, so the shop feels different depending on the month. We get a mix of local residents from the colony and people just passing through on their way to another city. There is always something to do, whether it is cleaning the glass jars or counting the change in the drawer. We don't have a big team, just a couple of us making sure people get their groceries and get on with their day. It is just a regular shop where we work hard and keep things moving.