Richumal Bishan Sarup

Started here a long time ago in Khari Baoli at shop number 624. It is always busy in this part of town with people moving sacks and the smell of spices everywhere. My father used to sit on the same stool I use now. We open the shutters early when the air is still a bit cool before the crowd starts pushing through the lanes. It’s a small space but we have managed to keep things going year after year without much changing inside. Most days are just about talking to people who have been coming to us for twenty years or more. They know where everything is kept even better than some of the newer boys working here. We don't have fancy lights or a big glass front like the new shops. The floor is old and the walls could use a bit of paint but it works for what we do. Sometimes it gets so loud outside you can hardly hear a customer standing right in front of you. You just get used to the noise and the dust. It’s just how life is in this market. We keep the books manually mostly and try to stay on top of the stock. It’s hard work being here every day but it feels wrong to be anywhere else. People stop by just to say hello even if they don’t need to buy anything today. We just wrap up the goods in paper and keep the change in a wooden drawer like it has always been done.