Swaraj Provision Stores

We have been sitting here at Swaraj Provision Stores for quite some time now. Our place is right inside the Dongree Municipal Market on Sandhurst Road. If you know Mumbai 09, you know how busy it gets around here with all the people and the traffic. We have two shops, number 61 and 62, joined together because one just was not enough for all the sacks and boxes we have to keep. It is a bit cramped inside sometimes, especially when the morning deliveries arrive and we are trying to stack everything up before the first customers show up. Most days, I am just moving things around or checking the lists to see what we need to get more of. It is loud outside because of the market life, but we are used to the noise by now. People from the neighborhood stop by to get their daily stuff, and we usually know what they want before they even ask. Sometimes the electricity goes out for a bit, or it gets too hot in the afternoon, but that is just part of being in Mumbai. We do not have any fancy shelves or anything like that. It is just a regular provision store where we try to keep what people need for their kitchens. My hands are usually dusty from handling the grain bags. It is hard work, standing on your feet all day, but it keeps us busy. We close up when the market starts to quiet down. That is basically how things go here.