Aruna Variety Stores

Aruna Variety Stores is located in New Barrackpore, right in the heart of the community here in Kolkata 700131. It is not a very big shop, but we try to keep a lot of different things so people do not have to go too far. I handle everything from the cleaning to the selling. You will find things like notebooks, pens, small kitchen items, and maybe some snacks. The walls are lined with wooden cupboards that have been here since we started. They are a bit dark and old, but they work fine. Kolkata summers are tough, so the shop can get quite stuffy during the middle of the day. I usually sit near the door to catch whatever breeze comes through. I have lived in New Barrackpore all my life, so I know most of the people who walk past the store. It is a quiet life, mostly just checking the inventory and talking to the local residents. Sometimes the rain comes down so hard that the water starts dripping near the entrance, and I have to put out a bucket. I do not try to make the shop look like those big malls. It is just a practical place for the neighborhood. Every morning, I light some incense and get ready for the day. It is a small business, run by one person, just trying to provide what the local people need for their homes.