Mukhtar Ahmad General Store

The shop, Mukhtar Ahmad General Store, is located in Thakurganj on Hardoi Road. Lucknow is a big city, but this part of Thakurganj feels like its own small world. We keep the doors open from early morning until late at night because you never know when someone might need a light bulb or some cooking oil suddenly. The store is packed with all sorts of things, from snacks for the local kids to cleaning supplies for the houses nearby. It’s a bit cramped inside because we try to fit in as much as we can on the walls. Every morning starts with dusting the glass jars and checking the stock of eggs. My father started this and now I help out with the daily work of handling the customers. We don’t really do any big advertising or anything fancy. People just know we are here. When the electricity goes out, which happens sometimes, we just light a small lamp and keep going. We know the names of the kids who come in for candies after school. Dealing with the heat in the summer is probably the hardest part, but we have a small fan that helps a bit. We just focus on getting the right items from the wholesalers so our customers don't have to go all the way to the main market. It is a quiet life of counting change and packing bags, but it feels good to be part of the street life.