Pragati Kirana

We are tucked away in Block N of Kunj Vihar, right near Sainik Chauraha in Yashoda Nagar. It’s a quiet residential area mostly. I opened Pragati Kirana because I wanted a small business near my house. We mostly sell things like flour, pulses, and cooking oil. Most of my customers are the ladies from the nearby apartments who come in during the late morning after they finish their housework. I keep a small bench outside for people to sit if they have to wait. It’s a simple life here in Kanpur. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we have to use a flashlight to find things in the back of the store. I don’t use any big signs or posters. People just know where the shop is because they walk past it every day. The sacks of grain sit on wooden pallets to keep them off the floor. I spend my time cleaning the glass jars where we keep the loose candies and biscuits. Children come by with a few coins after school, and I like seeing them choose their treats. It’s not a supermarket where you grab a cart. You just tell me what you need and I get it for you from the shelf. My hands are usually a bit dusty from handling the flour bags. That is just how the work is at a kirana store.