Shri Mahalaxmi Beej Bhandar

Being located where Station Road meets Jaipur Road means we get a lot of different people coming through. Shri Mahalaxmi Beej Bhandar is mostly full of bags and containers. It smells like earth and dried seeds in here, which is something you get used to after a week or two. Farmers come in from the surrounding villages, often arriving on the early trains or buses. They usually have a lot of questions about the weather and what’s growing well this season. We spend a lot of time lifting heavy sacks, so our backs usually ache by the time evening rolls around. The floor is concrete and stays cool even when it’s hot outside. We don’t have a big staff, just a few of us who know where everything is kept. If you need something from the back, it might take a minute to find because we have so much stuff crammed in. The traffic on Jaipur Road can be loud, but we’ve learned to talk over the sound of the horns. Sometimes the chai wala from next door brings over a few cups and we take a break. It’s a basic business. We sell what people need for their fields and that’s about it. There’s no need for anything fancy when you’re dealing with the dirt and the rain. We’ve been here at this junction for a long time now and we plan to stay for a while longer.