Nikhil Provisional Stores

Nikhil Provisional Stores is down on B P C Road in the Chandan Nagar area. It’s a regular shop for the people who live nearby. We sell all the things you need for a kitchen. There are big sacks of rice and different kinds of dal stacked against the walls. It’s a lot of heavy lifting. My back usually aches by the time we close up. The road outside is always noisy with buses and cars going past. It brings in a lot of dust, so we have to wipe down the jars of sweets and the biscuit packets every single morning. We don't have a computer system or anything like that. We use a big paper ledger to keep track of things. Sometimes the pen runs out and we have to hunt for another one while a customer is waiting. It’s just me and a couple of family members working here. We know who wants the premium rice and who is looking for the cheaper stuff. Kids come in with a few coins for chocolate or those small packets of chips. We’ve seen them grow up over the years. The shop hasn't changed much since we started. The shelves are a bit crooked and the paint is peeling in some corners. But we have what people need. We stay open seven days a week because people eat every day. It’s a busy life, but it’s our life here in Chandan Nagar.