Pandit Gopala General Store

Pandit Gopala General Store is in Kda Colony, part of the Sujanpur Shyam Nagar area in Kanpur. It is a residential neighborhood, so we see the same faces every single day. The shop is part of the ground floor of a brick building. We have a wooden counter that has been worn smooth over the years from people leaning on it. I stock things that families need, like flour, lentils, and cleaning supplies. Kanpur can get very cold in the winter, so we stay wrapped in woolens while we wait for customers. In the summer, the dust is everywhere. I spend a lot of time wiping down the jars of spices and the packets of chips. We have a small corner for stationery because the school kids always forget to buy pens or notebooks until the last minute. The street outside is narrow, so it gets noisy when a tractor or a big car tries to squeeze through. I usually have a cup of tea sitting on the shelf next to the register. We do not have a big sign, just the name painted on the wall above the door. Most people around here have lived in the colony for twenty years, so they do not need a sign to find us anyway. It is a quiet existence, just keeping the shop running and watching the neighborhood grow. There is always some small chore to do.