New Sonu Milk Centre & General Store

The day starts at 5 AM here in Deolali. Being a milk centre means people expect us to be open before they even have their first cup of tea. We are at Shop No 15 in the Guruvandana Complex. It’s near Naka No 6, so we get people passing through on their way to work. Besides milk, we keep all the regular general store items like bread, eggs, and detergents. Nashik mornings can be quite chilly, so we usually have a sweater on until the sun comes up. The crates of milk arrive on a small truck, and we have to move them quickly into the fridge. It’s a lot of lifting. By mid-morning, the rush for milk dies down and it becomes more about the general store side of things. People coming in for a packet of salt or some biscuits. The complex is a decent place to be. We know the other owners around here. My father started this, and now I handle most of the daily work. The floor needs sweeping often because of the foot traffic. We don't have a lot of space for sitting, so I’m usually on my feet. Sometimes a customer stays for a chat about the local news. It’s a honest living. We just keep the fridge running and the shelves full for the neighborhood.