Shaukin Bhel

I am Shaukin Bhel here in Nashik. We are on College Road, right across from Nandan Sweets. It gets really busy around here, especially in the evenings when the students finish their classes at the colleges nearby. We mostly just focus on making bhel and other snacks that people like to grab quickly. It's not a big fancy place, just a small spot where you can get something spicy and crunchy. I've been doing this for a while now. The onions have to be chopped just right and the chutneys are made every day in the morning. Sometimes the traffic on College Road is a nightmare, so people just pull over their scooters and wait for their parcel. We see a lot of the same faces every week. It's nice to know the regulars and what they want without them even saying it. Most people like it extra spicy, but we get some who can't handle the heat. We try to keep things clean, but it's a small space and there's always a lot going on. When the weather is nice in Nashik, everyone wants to be outside eating. It gets a bit chaotic when it rains because everyone tries to crowd under the small roof we have. We don't have a big team, just a few of us working together to get the orders out. It’s hard work standing all day, but it’s what we do. We usually start cleaning up late at night once the crowds thin out. It is a long day.