Shringar Mahal

Shringar Mahal is tucked away in Shyam Nagar, right near the Mahima Medical Store. The shop number is 355-D, and if you are walking down that lane, you’ll see our glass counters filled with all sorts of small things. We mostly have stuff like glass bangles, hair pins, bindis, and different creams. It is a small place, so we have to be careful where we put everything so it doesn't look like a mess. The mirrors on the walls help make it feel a bit bigger, but it's still quite narrow. Most of our visitors are ladies from the neighborhood looking for a specific shade of thread or a ribbon for their kids. We spend a lot of time untangling things or showing different colors of nail polish. It’s a quiet kind of work, mostly. Sometimes it gets a bit loud when the school nearby lets out and students come in for hair bands or cheap earrings. Kanpur gets very humid, so we try to keep things covered so the packaging doesn't get ruined by the damp air. We’ve been in this spot for a good while, and most people know to look for us by the medical store. The sign outside is a bit faded from the sun, but we haven't bothered to repaint it yet. It’s just a normal shop for daily beauty needs and small accessories. We try to keep the drawers organized, though it's hard with so many tiny items.