Nisha Kirana Store

Our shop is right there at Nari Ka Naka, number 64. It’s a busy little spot in this part of Jaipur. Every morning I pull up the shutters and the first thing I do is sprinkle a little water on the ground to settle the dust. It’s a habit. The shelves are packed with everything from spices to washing powder. We don’t have those fancy scanners or anything, just a notebook and a calculator that’s missing a button. Some days the delivery trucks block the whole street and it’s a mess getting the crates inside. I mostly sell a lot of cooking oil and sugar. People stop by on their way home from work to grab what they forgot. The lighting is a bit dim towards the back of the store, so I have to use a torch sometimes to find the bigger bags of grain. It’s a bit cramped when more than three people come in at once. My hands are usually a bit white from the flour sacks I’ve been moving around. The neighborhood is loud, lots of bikes and people talking, but inside here it feels familiar. I've got a small radio that plays old songs while I wait for the next customer. It’s hard work standing all day, but this shop is what I know. We’ve been here at Nari Ka Naka long enough that people just call out my name when they walk through the door. I hope to keep it going as long as my legs hold up.