Naveen Kirana & Pan Masala

Being over here on Nayapura Khai Road means dealing with a lot of different people every day. The shop is small and packed with stuff from floor to ceiling. I have to know exactly where every single packet of spice or brand of tobacco is kept, otherwise it takes too long to find anything. The road outside stays busy with bikes and rickshaws, so it’s never really peaceful. I usually sit on a wooden stool near the counter and wait for the regulars to come by. Most of them live just a few streets away and we know each other's names. We don’t have any big signs or bright lights, just the old board above the door. In the summer, the heat gets trapped inside and it can get quite uncomfortable, but we just keep the fan going. I spend a lot of time writing down what we need to order for the next week. It’s mostly basic things people need for their kitchens or a quick pan masala when they are passing through. Sometimes the delivery trucks block the whole road when they drop off the sacks of grains. It’s a lot of heavy lifting and shifting things around to make space. I’ve been doing this for years now and the routine doesn't change much. We just open up, serve the neighborhood, and close when the sun goes down and the street lights come on.