Mahadev Pan Bhandar

Living and working in Mansarovar, you get used to the pace of Vijay Path. Our little spot at 39/111 is really just a small corner in a very busy world. Mahadev Pan Bhandar isn't a place where people spend hours, they just pull up their scooters and ask for what they need. We spend a lot of time washing the betel leaves and getting the lime paste just right. The glass jars on the shelves are filled with all sorts of colorful things, like fennel seeds and dried fruits. Some days it is so hot that we have to keep splashing water on the floor just to stay cool. People come by after their dinner, usually looking for a bit of conversation along with their pan. We see the same faces every evening, which is nice. Mansarovar has grown so much lately, but this little stretch of road feels the same as it always did. There’s always music playing from a passing car or someone shouting down the street. It’s a bit cramped inside the booth, especially when two of us are trying to work at the same time. We don't have any big signs or bright lights, just the usual setup you’d expect. Sometimes we run out of certain ingredients by ten at night, so we have to tell people to come back tomorrow. It’s just how the days go by here in this part of town.