Om Sanidev Kirana Stores

Rani Pratap Bazar is one of those places that never really goes quiet. At Om Sanidev Kirana Stores, we are right in the middle of all that noise. The shop is packed from floor to ceiling with everything you might need for a kitchen. We have open sacks of different pulses and the air always has a bit of a dusty, spicy smell to it. The wooden shelves are old and have been painted so many times that the edges are all rounded off. We don't have much room to move around, especially when we are restocking the heavy tins of oil. Most of our customers are women from the neighborhood who come in to complain about the prices of onions or just to chat for a bit. We use a manual scale for some things and an electronic one for others, depending on what's working that day. Sometimes a stray dog sits near the entrance and we have to shoo it away so people can get in. An old clock on the wall ticks loudly but it hasn't shown the right time in years, so we just ignore it. It is a simple life, just counting out spices and making sure the jars are full. We close up when the sun goes down and the bazar starts to thin out. It’s hard work being on your feet all day, but we are used to it now.