Vinayaga Stores

You can find my store on Thuraisamy Road in Madurai, right near the Kidzee School. Being near a school means I see a lot of parents and children every day. They usually stop by for small things like pencils or snacks on their way home. The shop is at E141 in the TVS Nagar area. I’ve been here for several years now. It is a typical Madurai store where we keep a bit of everything. I have bags of rice, lentils, and different types of oils. The shelves are mostly wooden and have seen better days. I wake up early to take the milk packets from the van. It is usually quiet then, just the sound of the birds. As the day goes on, the road gets busier with cars and cycles. I spend my time weighing out goods and packing them into bags. My wife helps me out during the busy lunch hour. We don’t have air conditioning, so we just keep the door wide open for the breeze. Sometimes the monkeys from the nearby trees try to sneak in, so I have to keep a stick handy. It is a modest life, but we are part of the community here. The shop is our main way of living, and we take care of it as best as we can. I usually close up once the streetlights come on and the school is long empty.