Babu Stores

Shibachal Road gets really busy around the Nai Kuri More, and that is where we have been sitting for a long time. It’s just a small place, nothing like those big supermarkets you see in the malls now. We open up early because the people living around here need their milk and bread before heading to the office. The shelves are mostly full of things like rice bags, different types of lentils, and those small packets of spices. It gets quite hot in the afternoons, so we usually sit under the old ceiling fan and wait for the evening rush. Sometimes the delivery truck is late and we have to explain that to the regulars who come looking for a specific brand of soap or oil. The floor is just plain cement, and we try to keep it clean, but the road dust always finds its way in. It’s just me and a couple of boys who help with the heavy lifting. We don’t really do any fancy advertising or anything like that. People just know we are here. If someone needs a single egg or a pouch of shampoo, they come to us. Life in this part of Kolkata moves at its own pace, and we are just a part of that routine. We spend most of the day talking to neighbors about the weather or the local news while weighing out sugar and packing things into small plastic bags.