Shree Shyam Stores

Living and working in Sahara State in Jankipuram is pretty straightforward. Our store, Shree Shyam Stores, is located at MLIG-5/78, which is basically just a part of the residential blocks here in Lucknow. Since we are right in the middle of where people live, we see the same faces every single day. We aren't some big supermarket where you get lost in the aisles. It's just a small shop where we keep the essentials like milk, bread, and cleaning supplies. The space is a bit cramped because we try to keep a lot of variety, and sometimes the boxes pile up near the back door when a new shipment arrives. We don't have any polished slogans or mission statements. We just wake up, open the shutters, and start the day. Sometimes the neighborhood kids come in for sweets after school, and other times it's people looking for something they forgot for dinner. The walls could probably use a fresh coat of paint, but we haven't gotten around to it yet because we’re too busy with the day-to-day work. We spend most of our time chatting with the regulars and making sure the inventory is okay. It's a quiet kind of work, and it suits the vibe of Jankipuram. We don't try to be the biggest or the loudest; we just stay here and keep the shelves ready for whoever walks through the door next. It’s a living, and it keeps us connected to the neighborhood.