Venkatesh Cement Shop

Venkatesh Cement Shop is right there on Jawahar Road in Banikatti. If you pass by number 36-45, you’ll likely see some bags piled up or a truck trying to reverse into the small space we have. It’s a lot of heavy lifting, to be honest. My back usually aches by the time the sun goes down, but that’s just how this business goes. We’ve been sitting on this road for years, watching the shops around us change owners while we stay the same. The walls inside are stained with grey dust because you can’t really keep a cement shop clean, no matter how hard you try. People come in looking for a few bags for a small patch job or enough to build a whole wall. We treat everyone about the same. It doesn't matter if it's a big contractor or just a guy fixing his front steps. We don't have any fancy displays or a showroom. It’s just the product sitting there and a desk where I keep the ledger. Sometimes the ledger gets a bit messy when I’m in a hurry, but I know where everything is. The fan overhead makes a clicking sound that I’ve stopped noticing after all this time. We keep the doors open to let some air in, even if it brings in the street noise too. It’s a simple life here on Jawahar Road, and we’re okay with that.