Ashok Kirana & General Store

Lakad Ganj is always a bit noisy, especially here on Bhandara Road near the Sagar Complex. We’ve got the shop set up right across from Badi Masjid Satranjipura, so we hear the calls for prayer throughout the day. Ashok Kirana & General Store has been our life for years. We usually start the day by sweeping the front step because the Nagpur wind brings in all sorts of dirt. The shelves are packed with everything from loose tea to soap bars. It’s a tight squeeze inside when more than three people come in at once. Sometimes the kids from the neighborhood come in just to stare at the candy jars until I give them a look. We spend a lot of time weighing out sugar and pulses into plastic bags. My hands are usually dusty from the flour sacks by midday. It’s not a quiet job. We’re always shouting to the delivery boys or talking to the lady who lives upstairs about her grocery list. The fan overhead makes a clicking sound that we’ve just gotten used to. We don't really have a big staff, just family mostly. If the weather is too hot, we sit closer to the cooler and wait for customers. We try to keep things simple. If we have it, we sell it. If we don’t, we tell you when it’s coming. That's the way we’ve always done things here.