Rupali Ice Cream

Down at 808 Budhwar Peth, we’ve got our little shop where we keep the freezers running day and night. It’s a bit of a relief to be inside here when the sun is beating down outside. We spend a lot of time checking the temperatures and making sure the lids are closed tight. The floor is usually cold, and we have to wear sweaters even when it’s hot out. We’ve got a variety of flavors, but we mostly just focus on keeping everything fresh. Sometimes the power goes out and we all have to scramble to make sure nothing melts, which is always a bit of a headache. We see all kinds of people, from kids coming in after school to older folks who have been visiting this part of town for years. The counter is a bit scratched up from all the years of service, and the stools sometimes wobble, but we keep them as clean as we can. We don't have a big staff, just a few of us who take turns scooping and ringing up the orders. We mostly just talk about what needs to be restocked or which freezer is making a weird humming noise again. It’s a simple life, surrounded by cold air and the smell of vanilla and fruit. We just keep the doors open and wait for whoever wants something cold.