Mitrasen Halwai

If you go to Sector 3 and look for Shop No 8 in the Nahar Singh Market, you will find Mitrasen Halwai. We have been cooking here for a long time. It’s a small shop, mostly taken up by the large pans we use for preparing snacks and sweets. There is always a bit of steam in the air and the sound of something frying. We don't have a lot of room for people to sit, so most customers just stand around the counter or take their food to go. It’s a neighborhood spot where people stop by on their way home from work. My father taught me how to balance the flavors, and I'm trying to teach the younger guys the same thing, though they don't always listen like they should. We don't have any glossy brochures or a marketing team. We just make the food and put it out. Sometimes the supply of milk is a bit late in the morning, which throws off our whole schedule, but we make do. The market can be quite chaotic with bikes and people everywhere, so it’s always loud outside our door. We keep the counters wiped down as much as we can during the day. It’s a lot of standing on your feet, but seeing people enjoy a hot snack makes it okay. It is just a regular life running a shop in a busy market.