Rajdhani & Tikhamitha Sweet

Down at Talegaon Dabhade 16 A, our shop sits among the other local spots. We open up the shutters every morning and the first thing we do is check the milk deliveries. Running a sweet shop like Rajdhani & Tikhamitha involves a lot of waiting for things to boil or cool down. The back room is usually full of steam and the smell of sugar. We don’t have a big corporate team, just a few of us who have been doing this for a long time. The glass cases at the front get smudged with fingerprints from kids looking at the trays, so we are always wiping them down. 16 A is a decent spot, though parking on this street can be a bit of a headache during the busy hours. People come in for something quick on their way to a party or just because they’re passing by. We keep the floor swept, but with so many people coming in and out, there’s always a bit of dust. The lights inside are a little too bright sometimes, but it helps us see what we’re doing when we’re packing boxes. We don't spend much time on fancy talk; we just focus on the trays and the customers who have been coming here for years. It’s a simple routine of weighing things out and tying knots in carry bags. Most days are long, but that’s just how it is when you run a place in Talegaon Dabhade.