Girdhar Vegetabale & Fruit Company

We are down in Masjid Gali near Kota Junction. Girdhar Vegetabale & Fruit Company is where life starts very early for us, usually while most people are still sleeping. The trucks come in with crates of whatever is in season. We spend the morning unloading heavy boxes of tomatoes, potatoes, or whatever fruits we managed to get. The ground is often wet and messy, and the air smells like earth and ripening fruit. It’s a loud place, with a lot of shouting and haggling going on as the sun comes up. We don't have a fancy storefront; it’s mostly just crates stacked high and people moving fast. By the time it’s noon, we are usually exhausted. The heat in the Gali can be tough during the summer months. We deal with all kinds of people, from local residents to other small sellers. We’ve been in this spot for years, and everyone around here knows the name. It’s a family-run sort of thing. We don’t use any computers or high-tech stuff, just old scales and notebooks to keep track of things. Sometimes the produce is great, sometimes it's just okay, depending on the rain and the farms. We just sell what we have and try to clear the stock before it goes bad. It’s a hard way to make a living, but it’s what we know. The day ends when the crates are empty.