Sada Shiv Dal Bhandar

We are tucked away at number 329 in Johari Bazar. This place has been in our family for two generations now. We mostly deal in different kinds of dals, pulses, and some basic grains. If you walk into the shop, you’ll see big open sacks of yellow moong, red masoor, and chana dal sitting on the floor. The dust from the grains is always in the air, which makes some people sneeze when they first walk in, but we are used to it by now. It’s a very traditional setup. We still use old-style manual scales for some things, though we have a digital one now for the smaller pre-packed bags. Johari Bazar is always crowded with tourists and jewelry shoppers, but our customers are mostly local households and some small restaurant owners who want decent quality pulses for their kitchens. I spend my whole day weighing out bags and chatting with the other shopkeepers on our lane about the news. We don't have any bright lights or modern decor or anything like that. It’s just wooden counters and stone floors that have been worn smooth over the years by people walking in and out. My son is starting to help out more now, learning how to tell the difference between the various grades of chickpeas. We don't do any big marketing or signs. Word of mouth is how people have found us for years. It’s steady work and we like being a part of this old market.