Lokenath Basanalaya

You can find us in Nimtala Bazar. That’s in Mahadevpur, over in the Nadia district. We’ve been running Lokenath Basanalaya for quite a long time now. It’s a traditional kind of shop. We mostly sell pots, pans, and all kinds of kitchen items. The bazar is always lively, especially on market days. It gets very crowded with people coming in from the nearby villages. Our shop is filled with the sound of metal clinking together. We have stacks of stainless steel and brass items everywhere. It’s a bit messy, but that’s how a basanalaya usually looks. We don't have air conditioning or anything fancy. Just a few fans that hum all day. We know most of our customers by name. Their parents bought things from us, and now they do too. It’s a nice feeling to be part of the community in Nadia. We don't have a computer in the shop. Everything is done by hand. We calculate the bills on a small piece of paper. It’s simple and honest. Sometimes the monsoon makes the market floor muddy, but people still come. We just open up the shop and wait for the day to start. It’s a slow pace of life and we wouldn't change it. We are just a local shop selling things that every home needs for their kitchen.