Saraswati General Stores

At 160 Rasta Peth, you’ll find Saraswati General Stores. Pune is a city of narrow lanes and old houses, and Rasta Peth is right in the middle of all that. Our shop is quite simple. We have the usual things people need like soap, oil, and snacks. The address 411011 has been our home for a long time. I wake up, have my tea, and walk over to open the shutters. The metal makes a loud scraping noise that everyone in the lane probably knows by heart. I spend most of my morning dusting the glass jars because the road outside is quite busy and brings in a lot of dirt. It’s a small shop, so I have to be careful about how I stack the boxes so they don’t fall over. I usually keep a stool near the counter because my back starts to ache if I stand for too long. People from the nearby apartments come in for small things they forgot at the bigger market. I enjoy the chat, even if it’s just about the rain or the bus schedule. We don't have any fancy displays or anything like that. It’s just shelves full of items and a scale for weighing out the loose goods. When the sun sets, I start thinking about closing up and heading home. It’s a quiet, steady way to make a living in this part of Pune. There is always something to do, like checking the expiry dates or just sweeping up the floor again.