Shankar Misthan Bhandar

If you head down Sirsi Road near the Jaipur G P O, you’ll find our shop. It’s been a staple in this area for quite some time. We focus on the kind of sweets and snacks that people grew up eating. Every morning we get the milk delivered and start the process of reducing it down for the mawa. It takes hours of stirring over a low flame. We also make a lot of savory snacks, the kind people like to take home in plastic bags for tea time. The shop is usually humming with the sound of the ceiling fans and people shouting out their orders. We aren't big on decorations. The shelves are filled with trays of whatever we finished making an hour ago. Sometimes the floor gets a bit cluttered with empty crates, but we move them as quick as we can. Our staff has been with us for years, so we all know how each other works. It’s a busy life, especially during festival seasons when everyone wants their boxes of sweets at the same time. We don't use any fancy machines; most of what we do is by hand, just like it was done years ago. It’s honest work and it keeps us busy from dawn until late in the evening. People stop by for a quick samosa or a piece of kalakand and we have a quick chat before they move on. We try to keep things simple and consistent for everyone.