Shailesh General Store

If you come to Kothrud on the 4th Main, you’ll find Shailesh General Store at 102/B. It’s a typical corner shop. I have shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling, filled with bags of rice, different kinds of dals, soaps, and snacks. It’s a bit of a maze inside. I know exactly where every single item is, even if it looks messy to anyone else. I spend my day sitting at the wooden counter, weighing out sugar or counting change. Kids from the local school come in for those small packets of biscuits or some cheap candies. We have a fridge for cold drinks, but it hums a bit too loudly sometimes. The street outside is always full of scooters and people walking. I’ve been running this store at 102/B for quite a while now. I know most of the people who live in the surrounding buildings. We talk about the rising prices or the rain. I don't have a computer to track everything; I just use a thick notebook and a blue pen. Sometimes I forget to order a certain brand of soap and customers complain, but they still come back. It’s a dusty job, stocking the shelves and cleaning the glass jars. But it’s a steady life. I close the shutters around nine every night and walk home. It’s just a normal neighborhood shop for normal people in Kothrud.