Bittu Kirana

Down in New Kunj Colony, which is part of East Bahadurpur in the Kankarbagh area of Patna, you will find our small kirana. It is tucked away in a spot that gets a lot of local foot traffic. The shop is basically one long room with high ceilings where we store the extra gunny bags of grain. We have a routine of opening up early, sweeping the front step, and arranging the vegetable crates if we have any that day. The shelves are made of wood and they bow a little in the middle from the weight of all the canned goods and jars. Patna summers are tough, so we usually have a jug of cold water sitting near the counter for anyone who needs it. We don't have a computer or anything like that, just a notebook and a pen to keep track of what we need to order from the wholesaler. You can hear the sounds of children playing in the colony outside and the occasional rickshaw bell. It is a bit cramped inside because we try to stock everything from light bulbs to lentils. The lighting is a bit dim in the back corners where the heavy sacks of cattle feed are kept. We spend the evening hours mostly bagging loose items like sugar or salt into one-kilogram portions. It is just steady, honest work. We see the same faces every single day and know most of the families living around Kankarbagh quite well.