Maharashtra Kirana Stores

Located over in Wagholi, specifically in the Kamaraj Co Operative area. It’s mostly families living around here. We see the same faces every week. Running a kirana store means you never really sit down for long. There is always a delivery truck coming or someone asking for a specific type of dal we just sold out of. We keep the big sacks of grain near the front. They are heavy to move. My back hurts sometimes by the end of the day. The shop doesn't have air conditioning, just a couple of wall fans that push the warm air around. We have a small TV in the corner but we rarely get to watch it. Usually, it’s just on for background noise. The Kamaraj Co Operative is a decent place to be. People are mostly polite. We keep a diary for the regular customers who pay at the end of the month. It’s a lot of writing. Sometimes the handwriting is hard to read later. We sell everything from brooms to spices. The shelves are packed tight. If you pull one thing out, sometimes another thing falls behind. We have to climb a ladder to reach the top rows. It’s a bit sketchy because the ladder is old. We just take it day by day here in Wagholi. It is a lot of counting and lifting bags. The floor needs a new coat of paint soon.