Subash Karyana Stores

If you walk down Ajod Dairy Road, you’ll find us at number 2166 in the Kamal Estate part of Abdullapur Basti. This is a karyana store, so we have a bit of everything. Sacks of rice and lentils are stacked up near the front. I’ve been running this place for many years now. The air smells like turmeric and dried chilies most of the time. It’s a small space, so you have to be careful not to knock things over. We have customers who have been coming to us since they were children. Now they bring their own kids to buy small treats. I spend a lot of time writing in my notebook, keeping track of who owes what. The Ajod Dairy Road can be quite dusty, so I’m always dusting off the jars of biscuits. We don't have a computer or anything; we just use a simple scale and a calculator. It’s a busy neighborhood and there’s always someone stopping by for a pack of cigarettes or some matches. The Kamal Estate area is a good community. Everyone knows everyone else's business. We open up early in the morning before the sun gets too hot. By the time it’s evening, the street gets really crowded with people coming home from work. We stay open late enough to catch the last of the shoppers. It’s a lot of standing around, but I don’t mind. It’s what I know.