I. M. Parmar

If you ever head over to Market No. 2 on Moulana Shaukat Ali Road, you’ll probably see Shop No. 49. That’s us, I. M. Parmar. Being located in a market like this means there is never a quiet or dull moment. There’s always someone shouting, a scooter horn honking, or crowds of people walking right past the shop front. It’s a small shop, but we’ve managed to fit every single thing we need inside the four walls. We’ve been here for many years now. The wooden shelves are a bit old and the floor has plenty of scratches, but it works just fine for what we do. We handle a big variety of items depending on what the local people are looking for that week. Most of the day is spent talking to customers or checking our stock levels. Sometimes we sit on those small plastic stools outside when things slow down for a few minutes in the evening. The tea seller comes by twice a day, and that is usually the highlight of our afternoon. It’s a very tight-knit community here in the market; we all know the neighbors at Shop 48 and Shop 50 quite well. We don't really bother with big bright signs or fancy displays. People know where we are if they need us. Dealing with the public all day can be tiring, but it's what we’ve always done. The commute to Moulana Shaukat Ali Road is usually the hardest part of the day because of the narrow lanes.