Sujeet Chanachur

We are located at 132 Lenin Sarani, right in the heart of Dharmatala where it's always crowded and noisy. Sujeet Chanachur is a small operation, really. Most days involve a lot of frying and mixing various spices. It gets incredibly hot in the back room where the big vats are. The Kolkata weather doesn't help much, especially during the monsoon when everything feels damp. We have to be very careful with the storage then because the snacks can lose their crunch. The street outside is always packed with buses and people rushing to work. I've been working here long enough that I don't even hear the constant honking anymore. People stop by for a small packet of chanachur while they wait for their tram or bus. It’s a fast-paced environment. Sometimes the supply of gram flour is late because of the traffic jams near the main market, and we have to wait around doing nothing for an hour. Those are the days I catch up on some tea at the small stall next door. We don't have a big team, just a few guys who know how to handle the spices without sneezing all day. It’s messy work. The floor gets yellow from the turmeric, and we spend a lot of time scrubbing it down at night. It’s just how it is. We make the snacks, pack them up, and sell them to whoever walks in through the door.