Shantaram Kamble Pan Shop

This shop sits right on Yari Road along the Pune Solapur Road. It is a busy stretch with lots of cars and trucks passing by all the time. I spend most of my day sitting here behind the counter preparing the leaves and getting the mixtures ready. It is a small place but it fits everything I need like the jars and the fresh leaves we get delivered. Most people stop here while they are traveling between cities or just coming home from work in the evening. I have been doing this for a long time now so my hands just move on their own when I am folding the pan. The smell of the tobacco and the sweet chutneys is always in the air here. It can get dusty because of the road traffic but I try to keep the glass cases clean. I usually open up early in the morning and stay until the traffic thins out late at night. There are a few regulars who live nearby and stop to talk for a few minutes while they wait. Sometimes the rain makes things difficult but we have a good roof. It is just a simple pan shop on a busy road. Nothing too special about it, just a place to get a quick bite and move on. I keep the change ready in a small bowl. It is a steady life here in this corner of Pune Solapur Road and we just keep at it.