Maa Durga Kirana And General Store

Patna's Kankarbagh is a place that never really stays quiet, especially around Chitragupta Nagar Road. Our shop, Maa Durga Kirana And General Store, is right in the middle of all that noise. We are situated quite close to the Jeevak Heart Hospital, so we see a lot of people who are visiting patients there. They often come in looking for bottled water, juices, or maybe some light snacks while they wait. The rest of our day is spent dealing with the local families who live around here. We have big sacks of rice and wheat flour sitting near the entrance because that is what everyone needs for their kitchens. Sometimes the Bihar heat gets very intense, so we keep the fridge stocked with whatever cold drinks we can get. The shop isn't very large, and we have boxes piled up in the corners most of the time. It is a bit of a juggle to get everything organized when the new stock arrives on the trucks. We handle the billing ourselves on a small wooden desk. People from the hospital sometimes ask for directions, and we help them out while weighing out some sugar or lentils. It is a simple life of counting change and making sure we do not run out of the basics. We know most of the faces that walk through the door by now. The street outside is always dusty, but inside we try to keep things moving along as best as we can.