Shankar Namkeen Bhandar

Shankar Namkeen Bhandar is situated at Chaura Rasta, specifically on Sothle Walon Ka Rasta 5. If you know this part of the city, you know how narrow the lanes can get. Our shop is right in the thick of it. We spend most of our hours around the large frying vats. The smell of oil and spices is something that never really leaves your clothes. We make different kinds of namkeen, mostly the spicy and salty snacks that people like to eat with their tea. We have big metal bins filled with bhujia, sev, and fried lentils. Everything is weighed out on a small scale and put into clear plastic bags. It is a very simple setup. We don’t have fancy packaging or big advertisements. Most of our customers are people who have been walking down this rasta for years and just know we are here. The heat from the kitchen can be quite intense, especially in the summer months, but the frying doesn't stop. We usually have a few people working in the back, tossing the snacks in big bowls to mix the spices evenly. By the time evening rolls around, the shelves are often looking a bit empty. We just close up the shutters, clean the counters, and get ready to start the whole process again the next morning.