Chintamani Sweets

I’ve been at this shop in Chinchwad East for a long time now. It’s right near the Jvpd Circle on N S Road No 10, so it gets pretty busy when people are coming home from work. Every morning, we get here early to start the stove. The kitchen gets hot fast, especially when the big pots of milk are boiling down for the mawa. My hands are usually covered in flour or sugar by ten o'clock. It’s not a fancy place, just a regular shop where we put the sweets out in the glass cases and hope people like what we made today. Some days the boondi comes out perfect, and other days it’s just okay, but that’s how it goes with handmade stuff. We spend a lot of time cleaning the counters because the sugar attracts ants if you aren't careful. People stop by on their way to the circle, asking for a half kilo of this or that. We don't have a big team, just a few of us back there working the dough and frying things up. It’s a lot of standing on your feet. The traffic outside on N S Road never really stops. Sometimes I sit on the stool by the door when it’s quiet and just watch the cars go by. We try to keep things fresh, but once it's gone, it's gone for the day. It’s a simple life here in Chinchwad, just making sure the trays stay full.