Kalyani Namkeens

This is our spot at Ghorpade Peth on Old Padra Road in Vadodara, number 2696. We deal with namkeens, so the whole place usually smells like fried flour and spices from the moment we start. It gets really hot in the back where the big fryers are going. I spend a lot of time weighing out snacks and sealing them into bags for the customers. My apron is almost always covered in a bit of salt or spice dust by the end of my shift. We have big tins and containers everywhere filled with different mixes. Old Padra Road is a busy area, so we get people stopping by on their way home from work. We try to keep the bins full so nobody has to wait too long. It’s a lot of repetitive work, but you get into a rhythm with it after a while. I have to check the oil quality every day and make sure the spices are fresh. We don't do fancy packaging, just the clear bags usually. Sometimes the machines for sealing the bags act up and I have to tape them by hand until I can get the heater working again. It’s a family-style environment here, nothing too stiff or formal. We just focus on getting the batches done and making sure the shop looks decent for the people walking in. It’s a lot of heavy lifting too, with the big sacks of flour and oil cans. It keeps us on our feet all day long.