Raj Kumar Store

Walking down Kalpukur Road in Kolkata, you’ll find us at Raj Kumar Store. This place has been standing here for quite a while now. It’s in the 700002 zip code, which is a busy little corner of the city. I usually start the day by dusting off the counter and checking the lists of what we have. It’s a bit cramped inside because we try to keep a lot of different items for the people living nearby. The ceiling fan hums all day long, and the noise from the street never really stops. Kolkata is a loud city, and Kalpukur Road is no different. I see the same people every morning when they go to get their daily supplies. We don’t have a lot of help, so it’s mostly just us handling the customers and the stock. Sometimes the crates are stacked a bit too high, and I have to be careful not to knock anything over. It’s not a big corporate operation or anything like that. Just a local store where we know which neighbor likes which brand of tea. We don't have fancy displays or anything. The walls could probably use a fresh coat of paint, but there’s never really enough time for that. Between taking orders and talking to the regulars, the hours just fly by. It’s honest work, and it keeps us busy from morning until late at night when the street finally gets quiet.