Mangilal Patang Wala General Store

You can find Mangilal Patang Wala General Store tucked away on Mohan Takies Road, right near the Purani Sabji Mandi. Since we are so close to the old vegetable market, the whole area stays packed with people and carts from the very early hours of the morning. Our shop is a bit of a mix of things, but most people know us for the kites, which is why the name is what it is. Inside, the shelves are sagging a little under the weight of all the jars, packets, and household goods we keep in stock. It is a bit of a tight squeeze when more than two people are inside, as we have boxes stacked on the floor and items hanging from the ceiling. Mohan Takies Road is one of those places that feels like it hasn't changed much in years. We open the shutters while the sun is still coming up and the vegetable sellers are shouting out their prices. The floor gets a bit messy with scraps of paper or bits of kite string, but we sweep it up when things go quiet for a minute. We don't have a computer system or anything like that; we just know where everything is by heart and keep track of it ourselves. It’s a busy, noisy, and slightly messy life, but it suits us fine. We just focus on serving the neighborhood folks who have been coming to us for their daily needs for a long time.