Haresh Fatakada Bhandar

If you come down to Sector No. 8 in Gandhidham, you’ll find us at Plot No. 138. Haresh Fatakada Bhandar has been around for some time. We sell fireworks, so things get really busy when the festivals are close. The rest of the year is a bit quieter, but we still have plenty to do with inventory and keeping everything dry. It’s a bit of a dusty place because of the location, but we try to keep the shop floor clean. We have stacks of boxes everywhere, reaching up to the ceiling sometimes. You have to be careful where you walk so you don't trip over a carton. People from all over Kachchh come in looking for specific things for their family celebrations. We don’t do much advertising; word of mouth usually does the trick for us. Sometimes the kids come in just to look at the colorful packaging on the crackers. We keep a close eye on safety, obviously, given what we sell. No smoking anywhere near the plot is the main rule. The sun hits the front of the shop in the late afternoon, making it quite warm inside. We usually have a fan going full blast to keep the air moving. It’s an honest living, and we like being part of the community’s happy moments. When the big holidays are over, we take a few days to rest and then start sorting out the stock for next time.