Chaurasiya Pan Bandra

Netaji Nagar Main Market is where you can find us, right at shop number 63. It's a government colony area, so the crowd is usually pretty steady. We have a small corner where we set up our pan shop every day. The market has its own rhythm. In the morning, it's mostly people getting their daily supplies, but as the day goes on, it gets much busier. We spend a lot of time preparing the leaves. We have to wash them and keep them damp so they stay fresh in the heat. There are jars of different ingredients lined up on the shelves behind the counter. We don't have a big staff, just us working the small space we have. People stop by to chat for a minute while we prepare their order. We hear all sorts of stories about what's going on in the offices nearby. The shop is quite simple. We have a small light for the evening hours and a stool to sit on when things are slow. We don't try to make the place look like something it's not. It's just a regular pan shop in a regular market. Sometimes the weather is nice and we can see the trees in the colony, but mostly we are just looking out at the shoppers. We stay open until the market starts to close up for the night. It's a routine we've followed for years now, and we're used to it. The same spot, the same work.