Riddhi Sweets

Starting the day early is just how it goes here in Vile Parle East. We open up the shutters at Riddhi Sweets when most people are still finishing their tea at home. Nirmal Nagar 2 has its own rhythm, and we’ve become a part of it over the years. It’s not a big fancy place, just a regular shop where we keep the shelves filled with whatever is fresh that day. Usually, the morning is spent checking the milk deliveries and getting the trays lined up. You see the same faces every day, people heading to the station or parents dropping kids off. It gets a bit crowded in the evenings, especially when everyone wants something sweet after dinner. We don’t really do much advertising or anything like that. People just know where we are. The floor gets a bit dusty with all the foot traffic, and the fans never seem to move the air quite fast enough when it’s hot out. Sometimes the boxes pile up in the corner before we have a chance to clear them. It’s a lot of standing around and waiting, then suddenly everyone comes in at once. We just try to keep things moving and make sure nobody is waiting too long at the counter. It’s hard work, but it’s what we do here in this little corner of the neighborhood, and it keeps us busy enough throughout the week.