Mohanlal Rathore Kirana Store

I open the shutters every morning here at Suket on the Jhalawar Road. It’s a busy spot in Ramganj Mandi and we’ve been around for a while now. My father started things off and now I spend most of my day sitting here among the sacks of flour and jars of candy. People from the nearby houses stop by for their daily things like soap or salt. Sometimes the dust from the road gets inside, so I spend a lot of time wiping the counters. It isn’t fancy, just a regular shop where we keep what folks need. I know most of the people who come in by name because they live just a street or two away. We have tea together sometimes while they wait for me to weigh their pulses. The trucks go past on the road all day long and it gets quite loud, but you get used to it after a few years. I try to keep the stock full so nobody has to go back empty-handed. There is always something to do, like checking the old ledgers or moving the oil tins around to make space. It’s just how things go here at Mohanlal Rathore Kirana Store. We don't have a big sign or anything, just the usual boards. It stays open until late evening when the streetlights come on and the traffic finally slows down a bit. Then I lock up and walk home.