Sandeep Veges

Our little spot on Narol Cross Road is usually covered in vegetable crates by seven in the morning. Being in Powai, things move pretty fast once the traffic starts building up outside. We spend hours sorting through greens and making sure nothing is wilting under the lights. It’s mostly just us standing around the wooden crates, talking to neighbors who come by for their daily onions and potatoes. The floor is often a bit dusty because of the road work nearby, but we sweep it out when we can. We don't have a big staff, just a few of us making sure the scale is balanced and the bags are ready. People usually stop their bikes right out front, which sometimes blocks the lane, but everyone is in a hurry. The heat in the afternoon makes the leafy stuff go soft if we aren't careful, so we keep spraying them with water. It's a simple setup with some overhead bulbs that flicker occasionally. We’ve seen the neighborhood change a lot from this corner, but we just keep doing the same routine every day. We don't use fancy labels or anything; everything is just piled up how it arrives from the market. It gets loud with the horns from the cross road, but we've gotten used to it after all this time. When the sun goes down, we start packing up the leftovers and cleaning the crates for the next morning.