Hari Narayan Kirana Store

The shop is right in the middle of Rani Pratap Bazar, which is always full of people and noise. It is one of those traditional stores where everything is kept in jars and bags. We have been in this bazar for a long time, watching the other shops change hands while we stay the same. The smell of ground spices and open sacks of basmati rice is very strong when you walk in. We don't have much room for people to walk around, so they usually just stand at the wooden counter and tell us what they need. I spend most of my time reaching for things and weighing them on the old scales. We have a small light bulb hanging over the counter that gives off a yellow glow in the evenings. The shelves are made of heavy planks that have bowed a bit under the weight of all the canned goods and bottles. Sometimes the neighbor's cat comes in and sleeps on a pile of empty gunny bags in the corner. We don't use any fancy bags, just plain paper ones for the dry goods. It's a busy life in the bazar, and we are usually open from early morning until the last person leaves the market at night. It is just a simple way to make a living, serving the people who come to Rani Pratap for their daily shopping.