Maa Jagdamba Store

We run the Maa Jagdamba Store over in the Mahatma Gandhi Nagar part of Kankarbagh here in Patna. It is mostly a place where the local families stop by when they run out of something in the middle of cooking. We keep a bit of everything like spices and tea leaves and those little packets of shampoo that people like. The shop is tucked away in the colony so it is mostly the neighbors who come by rather than people from far away. It is nice because we know everyone and we can tell who is having a party or a function just by looking at what they are buying that day. We spend a lot of time organizing the jars on the shelves and making sure the expired stuff is taken out. Sometimes the electricity goes off and we have to use a torch to find things in the back corners of the store. It is a simple life and the work is steady even if it is not very exciting. We have a lot of plastic buckets and brooms hanging from the ceiling because there is no more room on the floor. It is just me and my nephew helping out usually and we try to get through the day as best as we can. Patna can be a very busy city but in our little corner of Kankarbagh things feel a bit more quiet and familiar once you step inside the shop and smell the turmeric and dried chilies.