Pratik Masale

You can find us at Shop No. 10 in Jogwada Village, which is part of Jintur Taluka in the Parbhani district. We are right near the Bank of India, so there is always a crowd of people standing around outside waiting for the bank to open or finish their work. This makes our little corner of the village quite lively. At Pratik Masale, we spend most of our time around the smell of fresh spices. It’s a small shop, but we pack a lot into it. We have the grinders in the back, and the noise can be a bit much when we are doing a big batch of turmeric or chili powder. The dust gets everywhere, so we are constantly cleaning the counters. Being in a village like Jogwada means we see the same people every day. We know who likes their spice mix a certain way and who is just passing through on their way to Jintur. It’s a simple life, mostly dictated by the harvest seasons and what the local farmers are bringing in. We don't have any fancy marketing or shiny packaging; we just put the masale in bags and sell them to whoever needs them. Sometimes the power goes out in the afternoon, which gives us a chance to sit outside and talk to the people coming from the bank. It is just how things go here in Parbhani. We try to keep it simple and get through the list.