Gift Land

If you walk down Chauraha Street in Bartan Bazar, you’ll find us easily enough. Gift Land is right in the middle of all the noise and the clanking of metal from the surrounding shops. Bartan Bazar is a wild place during the festival seasons. We’ve been squeezed into this spot for years, and every inch of the walls is covered with something. We sell all sorts of things that people might want to give to their friends or family. It's a bit of a mess sometimes, especially when a new delivery arrives and we haven't cleared the old stuff yet. I usually have a radio playing in the corner, mostly just for background noise. My neighbor runs a kitchenware shop and we often share a pot of coffee in the afternoons when things quiet down. People come in looking for something specific, or sometimes they just wander in because they saw something shiny through the window. We don't have a big staff, just me and a cousin who helps out when it gets busy. It’s a small life but a good one. You get to see people at their happiest when they are picking out a gift. The street outside is always narrow and crowded with rickshaws, but that’s just Bartan Bazar for you. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else really. It feels like home after all this time. I guess we're just used to the chaos and the crowds now.