Om General Store

Purani Sabji Mandi is always loud and smells like fresh coriander and onions in the morning. Om General Store is right in the middle of all that chaos. I open up early, usually before the sun is fully up, because that is when the market starts moving. We sell all the basics, like flour, soap, matches, and those little packets of biscuits the kids like. The floor is old stone and it’s seen a lot of feet over the years. I keep a big ledger book to write down what we need to order for next week. Sometimes the crates of vegetables get stacked so high outside that people can barely see my door. I have to shout to be heard over the vegetable sellers yelling their prices. It is a messy way to work but it’s what I know. People come in with their cloth bags and ask for a half-kilo of this or a pouch of that. I spend a lot of time weighing things on the scale and tying up plastic bags. The shelves are packed tight because the shop isn't very wide. I don't have any employees, it’s just me and sometimes my nephew when he isn't at school. We don't do any big advertising or anything. People just know we are here because we've been in the mandi for a long time. It’s hard work but it keeps me busy. I like seeing the same people every morning for their daily needs.