Tulsi Misthan Bhandar

Our shop is right in the middle of the Kotputli Bazar. It’s been here for a good while now. We start the day by cleaning the glass cases where we put the sweets. The morning is usually the busiest time because people want to buy things to take to their offices or for their breakfast at home. We have a couple of guys in the back who handle the big milk vats. It’s heavy work and they are always sweating because of the steam. I usually stay at the front and handle the scales. We have some old wooden benches outside if someone wants to eat right there, but most people are in a hurry. The street outside is narrow, so it’s always a bit of a mess with cows and motorbikes trying to get past each other. Sometimes we run out of the popular items by midday and we have to tell people to wait for the next batch. We don't use fancy packaging, just the plain cardboard boxes and some string to tie them up. It’s a simple business. We don't do much talk, just serve the customers and make sure the change is right. The fan overhead makes a clicking sound that I’ve stopped noticing after all these years. It’s just a normal part of the day in Kotputli for us. We keep going until the sun goes down and the market starts to quiet.