Sai Kirana Store

Located over by Subhash Nagar Mill Gate, Sai Kirana Store is right where the workers pass by every day. It’s a practical kind of shop with big open bags of grains and spices sitting on the floor. The smell is a mix of turmeric, coffee, and laundry soap. We have a lot of stuff hanging from the ceiling on strings to save space because the shop isn't very wide. I spend a lot of time weighing out sugar or dal into small plastic bags. The scale is old but it works fine for us. Since we are near the Mill Gate, the mornings and evenings are the busiest when the shifts change. People are always in a hurry then, so we have to move fast. During the middle of the day, it’s much quieter and I can catch up on restocking the shelves. The walls are lined with tins of oil and jars of biscuits. We don't have any air conditioning, just a big pedestal fan that blows the dust around. It’s a lot of manual work, moving heavy crates and climbing the ladder to reach the top shelves. We’ve been here in Subhash Nagar for a long time, and the shop has become a part of the daily walk for many people. It’s just about providing the basics and keeping the books straight. We stay open until the last worker has gone home and the street goes dark.