Rashtriya Pan Darbar

Over at Rashtriya Pan Darbar in Pan Dariba, the days start pretty early. We have to get everything ready before the first rush of people comes through the lane. Pan Dariba is an old part of town, and the streets are narrow, so it feels like everyone is on top of each other sometimes. Our shop isn't big, but we’ve managed to fit everything we need into the space. We spend a lot of time preparing the leaves and making sure the containers are filled with all the different spices and mixtures. It’s a bit of a tradition in this area, and you see the same faces every morning and evening. We don’t really do any fancy promotion; the smell of the shop and the word of mouth from neighbors is enough. There’s a certain way we like to arrange the jars on the counter so we can reach everything without looking. When it rains, the water splashes up from the street, and we have to pull the awning down a bit further. The fans hum in the background to keep the air moving, but it’s still quite lively most of the time. We talk to the customers about the weather or the local news while we work. It’s a simple life, being part of the daily rhythm of this neighborhood. We’ve been here long enough that the shop feels like a second home to all of us.