Ratan Raj Gift & Shop

Ratan Raj Gift & Shop is right at Bada Chouraha in Kota. If you know that intersection, you know how busy it gets with all the students and rickshaws going past. Our shop is in a very old building and the walls are quite thick. Inside, we have rows of shelves filled with things that students might like, such as nice pens, diaries, and small lamps for their desks. We also have the usual gift stuff like photo albums and ceramic mugs. The floor is old stone and it stays cool even when it is very hot outside. I usually start the day by sweeping the front step because the dust from the crossroad is constant. We have a lot of different people coming through, some just looking to pass time while waiting for a bus. The shop is narrow, so we have to be careful when moving around the glass displays. I keep a bottle of water under the counter because it gets dry in here. We don't have any fancy displays, just the items sitting out where people can see them. Sometimes we run out of change and I have to go to the shop next door to get some coins. It is a very typical Kota shop, nothing special to look at from the outside, but we have a bit of everything packed inside the wooden cupboards.