Aarya Genral Store

I run Aarya General Store here in the Aliganj area of Lucknow. It is a small shop but we try to keep a bit of everything on the shelves so the neighbors don't have to go all the way to the big market. We have the usual things like bags of flour, cooking oil, various soaps, and snacks for the kids who come in after school. I’ve been in Aliganj for years and I know most of the families who live on this street. The shop opens early in the morning because that’s when people realize they ran out of milk or sugar for their morning tea. Lucknow can get incredibly hot, so my refrigerator is always working overtime to keep the water and soda cold. It’s not a fancy supermarket where you walk around with a cart. You just come to the counter and tell me what you need, and I get it for you. Sometimes I have to chase the delivery trucks to make sure they bring my stock on time. It can be a bit of a struggle managing everything alone, but my nephew helps me out when I need to go to the wholesale market. The shop is my life and I’m usually behind the counter until late at night. There’s always someone stopping by for a last-minute loaf of bread or just to chat for a minute about the local news. It’s just a normal neighborhood store.