Panchratan Sweets

At Panchratan Sweets, the morning begins well before the sun is up. We are located on the Baner HMT Main Road, which is a very busy stretch of pavement. I spend the first few hours checking the trays and making sure the glass on the display counters is wiped clean of any fingerprints from the day before. The air inside always feels a bit warm because of the large pots in the back. I usually wear an apron that has seen better days, and my shoes are always a bit dusted with flour or sugar. The HMT Main Road starts to get noisy around eight in the morning, and that is when the first few people stop by on their way to the station or office. I have to be careful with the arrangements in the trays so nothing looks messy. The lighting in here is a bit yellow, which makes the whole place feel older than it actually is. I have a small stool behind the cash box where I sit when there aren't many people around, usually reading a newspaper or just watching the cars go by outside. The floor gets sticky sometimes, so I have to mop it twice a day. It is a lot of manual work, and my back usually aches by the time I am ready to close up. I just focus on the routine of it and wait for the evening rush when the commuters return.