Misthan Bhandar

Started at Phulera Johari Market a long time back. We open up the shutters early when the sun is just coming up. Usually, there’s a bit of dust on the front step so someone has to sweep that first. We get the milk delivered in the morning and start the big pots going. It gets quite hot in the back where the cooking happens, especially in the summer months. People know where we are because of the smell of the sweets being made. We don't have fancy chairs or anything like that. Just a counter and some shelves with boxes stacked up. Sometimes the delivery guy is late and things get a bit chaotic, but we manage to get the trays filled. We see the same faces every day. There is an old man who comes for his piece of barfi every afternoon around four. It’s a simple routine. We use what we can get from the local suppliers. The floor gets a bit sticky by evening, that's just how it goes when you work with sugar all day. We keep the fans running but they don't do much when the stove is on. It’s a small shop in a busy part of the market, and we just keep busy with the orders. Nothing too complicated about it. We just show up, do the work, and close when the trays are empty or it gets too late to stay open.