Bajaj Supariwala

If you walk down Nahargarh Road in Chandpole Bazar, you will find Bajaj Supariwala at number 268. It is a small shop, mostly filled with jars of different kinds of supari and mouth fresheners. We spend most of our afternoon cutting and mixing things. The smell of the spices and the nuts is always there, even when you walk a few meters away from the door. My grandfather started this and the shop hasn't changed much since his time. We have regulars who have been coming for thirty years just to get their daily supply after they finish their lunch. We don't really do any big marketing or have a website. People just find us through word of mouth or because they were walking to the fort and got curious. The wooden counter is old and smooth from people leaning on it while they wait for their packets. Sometimes we have to tell people to wait a bit because we are still packing the fresh stock. It gets dusty because of the road work that always seems to be happening outside, but we just wipe the jars and keep going. It’s not a complicated business. We just sell what people like to chew on. The space is tight so we have to be careful where we stack the bags of raw betel nut and the other ingredients we use. It is just how the work goes.