Pandey Pan Shop

If you walk down Sector 22 near the Old Sharee Mandir, you’ll see us tucked away in the corner. Pandey Pan Shop has been sitting in this same spot for years. It’s a small space, mostly just enough room for the counter and the jars of supari and sweets we keep on the shelves. People stop by on their way home or while they're out running errands at the mandir. We spend most of our time folding leaves and chatting with the regulars who’ve been coming by since they were kids. Sometimes the light outside flickers and we have to give it a knock to stay on. It’s dusty out on the street, so we’re always wiping down the glass. We sell a bit of everything, from cold drinks to the small packets of snacks that kids like. It’s not a big operation, just a couple of us making sure we don't run out of lime or tobacco. The morning starts early when the milk crates arrive. By evening, the crowd gets thicker and everyone is talking at once. We don’t have any big speeches about what we do. It’s just a shop. You need something, you come by, we hand it over. The rain hits the tin roof pretty loud in July, but we stay dry enough behind the counter. That’s about the whole story of this place in Sector 22.