Samarth Kirana & General Store

Dighi is a busy area and Samarth Kirana & General Store has been a part of it for some time. We handle the usual kirana items that everyone uses at home. There’s always a smell of spices and tea leaves in the air when you walk in. It’s a small space, so we have to be smart about where we put the sacks of rice and the boxes of soap. Often, we are busy weighing out things or looking for a specific brand of oil someone wants. It’s mostly just us working here, so if it gets crowded, people have to wait a little bit. We don’t mind the noise of the street outside. The counter is a bit worn down from years of use, but it holds up. We try to keep a bit of everything, from notebooks for the school kids to batteries and light bulbs. It’s more of a practical place than a pretty one. We deal with the suppliers every few days, arguing a bit over the prices so we can keep our own prices okay for the neighborhood. It’s a lot of standing around and then sudden bursts of activity when a bus drops people off nearby. We just keep the lights on and the shelves full. Dighi is a good place to be, and we like seeing the familiar faces coming in for their weekly groceries. The ceiling fan hums quite loudly, but it’s better than the heat. We keep the smaller items like matchboxes and candy right by the register because that’s what people grab at the last minute.