AADAB

Being on Jessore Road means there is never a quiet moment. Our place, AADAB, is right on the ground floor at Sathgachi. It is easy to spot if you are looking for Rajkumar Sweets because we are directly opposite that. Nagarbazar gets very crowded in the evenings, especially around Motijhil. We opened up here because the foot traffic is always steady. You see all sorts of people walking by. Sometimes the dust from the road gets in, so we are always wiping down the tables. It is just me and a couple of others working the shifts. We do not have any big signs or bright lights. The floor is just plain tiles and the furniture is heavy wood that has been here since we started. People from the nearby apartments stop in when they do not feel like cooking at home. It is funny how you get to know the neighbors just by what they eat. The traffic on Jessore Road can be a nightmare during office hours, so we mostly see locals then. We keep the doors open to let some air in, even if it brings the noise of the buses with it. Life in Kolkata is fast, but inside here, things move a bit slower. We just keep the kitchen going and make sure there is enough for whoever walks in. No big plans, just staying open and keeping the place running every day through the heat and the rain.