Shantilal Narayan Das

Our shop, Shantilal Narayan Das, is located in Ghorpade Peth at Sahakar Nagar 150. It’s an old-fashioned kind of place in a way. We’ve been operating out of this spot for quite a while, and the walls show the age of the building. We deal in various goods that the local community needs. There’s no big corporate office, just us sitting here handling the day-to-day business. The space is filled with the scent of old wood and the different items we keep in stock. We spend a lot of time writing things down in ledgers because that’s how we’ve always done it. It’s a bit slower than the big malls, but people seem to like the pace here. We have to move heavy boxes around and keep track of what’s coming in from the wholesalers. Ghorpade Peth is a crowded area, so there’s always something happening outside the door. We see all kinds of people, from young students to the elders who have lived here forever. Sometimes we have to deal with leaky pipes or a door that won't shut right, but we fix it and keep going. It’s a simple business built on being around for a long time. We don't make big promises, we just try to have the items ready when someone stops by. The wooden counters have been worn smooth over the years by all the hands and packages passing over them. We don't have any bright neon signs, just the old board with our name on it.