Amit Hotel

We have been here on Sinhagad Road at number 26 for quite a long time now. Most mornings start very early, even before the traffic on Oshiwara gets really loud and the buses start rattling past the door. Amit Hotel isn't a big place, just some tables and chairs that have seen better days and a kitchen that stays busy from dawn. You can usually hear the big tea kettle whistling from the back while one of us sweeps the front step to get the dust off. It gets pretty dusty out here because of all the construction and the wind, so we spend a lot of time wiping things down with old rags. People come in mostly for a quick bite or a cup of hot tea before they head off to their jobs. The light inside is a bit dim until the sun hits the front window around mid-morning. We do not have fancy uniforms or a big sign that glows in the dark, just the one painted on the wall that everyone knows. Sometimes the front door sticks a bit when the weather gets humid, but we just give it a good shove. It is mostly the same faces every day, which is nice because we know how they like their food without them having to say a word. My hands are usually stained with turmeric or tea, and the floor has a few cracks near the counter. It is just a regular spot on a busy road where people can sit for a minute.