Bhumika Store

Albatia Road in Kanpur is usually a mess of cycles and pedestrians, and Bhumika Store is right there in the thick of it. I have been running this shop for a while now, and the routine has not changed much. I arrive, unlock the three heavy padlocks, and start pulling out the racks of snacks. The shop is small, so I have to hang some items from the ceiling hooks just to make room. It is a bit of a maze inside sometimes. People in Kanpur like to talk, so a simple purchase of a kilo of sugar can take ten minutes if we start discussing the weather or the local news. I keep a notebook where I scribble down things I am running low on. The shelves are a mix of metal and wood, whatever I could find over the years that worked. There is a persistent squeak in the floorboard right in front of the counter that I keep meaning to fix. The afternoons are slow and hot, so I usually just sit and watch the ceiling fan spin. It is a quiet kind of life most of the time. When the sun starts to set, the street gets a second wind and things pick up again. I make sure everything is tucked away and the floor is swept before I head out. It is a simple shop for a simple neighborhood. You learn to appreciate the small things when you sit here all day.