Rice & Daal

Rice & Daal is our little spot inside Ritco Rice Palace. We are at Shop No. 10/1727 in Naya Bazar, which is one of the busiest parts of Chandni Chowk if you’re looking for grains. The air is always thick with the smell of raw rice and dry pulses. We spend our days surrounded by heavy jute sacks stacked up to the ceiling. It’s hard work, lifting and moving those bags, and our clothes are usually covered in a bit of dust by noon. The shop isn't very big, so we have to be organized just to find enough room to sit down. We use an old wooden desk that’s been here since the shop opened. Dealing with customers in Naya Bazar means a lot of talking and a lot of back-and-forth over prices and quantities. It’s a traditional market, so nothing is ever really quiet. We don't use any fancy technology to track things; we mostly rely on our ledger books and what we remember. When the sun hits the street outside, it gets quite warm, so we have a small table fan that hums all day. We aren't here to impress anyone with the decor. We are just here to sell the grains and make sure the bags are filled correctly. It's what we know how to do, and we’ve been doing it in this same spot for years.