Prbhu Dayal Kashmiri Lal

Our shop is number 834 and it is tucked away in Katra Hiddu. This is right in the heart of Shardanand Market on G.B. Road. If you know the market, you know how incredibly busy it gets. There is a constant flow of people, handcarts, and laborers carrying heavy loads on their backs. Prbhu Dayal Kashmiri Lal has been part of this market for generations. The shop is narrow and very deep. It is filled with all sorts of merchandise stacked high on wooden racks. We don't have any fancy computers for our accounting. Everything is still recorded in those thick red ledgers by hand. It feels more real that way. The air is always thick with the smell of the market and the sounds of shouting traders. We don't have a lot of space to move around, so we have to be very efficient. We usually have a pot of tea going in the back for anyone who stops by. We aren't into modern marketing or trying to look bigger than we are. We are just traditional merchants doing what we have always done. The floor is old stone and it’s seen better days. We start work very early, usually when the first light hits the market gates. It is a tough environment but there is a sense of community among the shopkeepers here. We close up when the market starts to wind down in the evening.