Modi Pan Palace

Being in Ramganj Mandi Bazar No 1 means there is always something happening right outside our door. This is a very old part of the town and the lanes are quite tight. Our pan palace is more like a small kiosk than a palace, honestly. We have all the usual things like cigarettes, matches, and of course the different kinds of pan. I have a small stone slab where I mix the ingredients. It is a repetitive job, folding the leaves just right, but I have gotten fast at it over the years. The shop is decorated with some old pictures and some bright tinsel from a festival three years ago that we never took down. We get a lot of people who work in the nearby shops coming by after they finish their lunch. It is a small space so things can get a bit disorganized when we get a delivery of supplies. We have to stack the boxes right up to the ceiling. Sometimes the monkeys from the rooftops come down and try to grab something, so we have to keep a stick handy. It is just the reality of working in the main bazar. We don’t have a computer or any fancy machines. Everything is done by hand and we keep the accounts in a small paper notebook. It is a quiet life in a loud neighborhood.