Nagpal General Stores

Ludhiana Pratap Road is a very busy stretch of road with people always moving. Nagpal General Stores is right in the middle of the houses and other small shops. I spend my whole day standing behind the wooden counter. We have everything from bags of lentils to lightbulbs and soap. The shelves are very cramped and I am probably the only person who knows where everything is hidden. People often come in for just one small thing and end up standing there talking for twenty minutes. That’s just how things go on Pratap Road. I’ve seen the kids in this neighborhood grow up and start coming in here with their own children. It’s a lot of work keeping track of all the different items we need to stock. Sometimes the bread delivery is late and the neighbors get annoyed with me. I just tell them to come back in an hour or so. We don't have any fancy barcode scanners or computers. I calculate every bill on a small paper notepad. The shop is quite old, and you can hear the wooden floorboards creak when you walk. I have a small stool behind the counter, but I rarely get a chance to sit on it. We keep the front shutters open until very late at night. There’s always someone who realizes they forgot to buy salt or matches for their kitchen. It’s a loud and noisy street, but it is home.