Devika Medico Chemist & General Stores

This shop is on the Panvel Link Road in Mankhurd. It’s a busy part of Mumbai where there is always noise from trucks and cars passing by. We have two sides to the business here. One part is for medicines and the other is for general items like snacks and household things. People come in with prescriptions and while they wait for us to find the tablets, they often pick up a bottle of water or some biscuits. The shelves are packed with white boxes of medicines and we have to keep everything in order so we don't get confused. The general store side is more colorful with packets of snacks and different bottles of juice. Because it’s on a main link road, we get a lot of people who are just driving through and need something quickly. The dust from the road is a bit of a problem so we have to wipe the counters multiple times a day. We have a small stool behind the counter where we take turns sitting. It gets very hot in the afternoons but we have a fan that helps a bit. Most of the people living in the Mankhurd colonies nearby know us well. We keep the shop open quite late because you never know when someone might need medicine urgently. It’s a lot of work staying on your feet all day but we are used to it by now.