Deepa Kirana Store

I open the shutters early morning here at Deepa Kirana Store. It is right in Ramnagar Sodala. Most people know us because we are directly opposite the M.J.R.P. Girls College. In Jaipur, the mornings can get quite bright and hot really fast. I spend a lot of time just moving bags of rice or arranging the lentil packets so people can see them easily. It is a simple place, honestly. We have been in this part of Sodala for a while now. Some students from the college across the street come over to grab quick things, maybe some snacks or a bottle of water between their classes. It gets busy during the afternoon lunch break. My hands are usually dusty from handling the flour sacks. There is always a lot of chatter from the street outside. I do not have fancy shelves or anything like that. Just wooden racks that have been here for years. The floor is concrete and we sweep it twice a day because of the Jaipur dust. Sometimes I sit on the small stool by the counter and just watch the traffic go by toward the main part of town. It is just a regular life running a shop. People come in for their daily milk or some soap. I know most of the neighbors by their first names or just their faces. We keep what people need for their kitchens and houses. That is pretty much it.