Malar India

Malar India is based out in Alankuppam. It’s a bit away from the main city buzz, which I actually prefer. The shop is a simple building, and we don't have a big neon sign or anything like that. Alankuppam is a place where everyone knows everyone, so a lot of people who come in are neighbors or people I see at the market nearby. Most of my day is spent checking on the stock we have and making sure everything is clean. It gets very hot here, so the ceiling fan is always running at full speed, making a clicking noise that I’ve stopped noticing. I have a big wooden desk where I do most of the writing and keep the ledger for our accounts. The walls are painted a plain off-white, and we have some basic shelving for the items we sell. It’s not a place for browsing for hours; people usually know what they need when they walk in through the door. I spend a lot of time just sitting out front on a plastic chair when it’s slow, watching the bikes and cars go by. Sometimes a stray dog will come and sit in the shade of the doorway to stay cool. It’s a quiet life, really. I don't have many employees, just one or two local guys who help with the heavy lifting when new supplies arrive from the city. We just do our work and go home when the sun sets.