Uday Pratap Pan Shop

Uday Pratap Pan Shop is in Kothrud. It is just a small shop, really more like a stall on the side of the road. We are right on the street where everyone passes by. Kothrud is always moving and it is never quiet. I stand behind the wooden counter most of the day. I have all my jars lined up in a row. I have betel leaves, nuts, and all the different sweet mixtures. My hands are usually stained dark by the end of my shift. It is just what happens when you do this kind of work for many years. I know most of the people who stop by the shop. They do not even have to tell me what they want. I just see them and start making their usual pan. We have a small television in the corner that is usually turned on to the news or a cricket game. It keeps me company during the hours when things are slow. The rain is the only thing that really slows our business down. When it pours down in Kothrud, people stay inside their houses. But as soon as the rain stops, they are all back again. I try to keep the shop as clean as I can, which is hard when you are right next to the dust from the road. I have a little stool I sit on when my legs get tired.