Kl Bakshi & Sons

If you’re ever near Mankar Railway Station, you’ve probably seen our place. Kl Bakshi & Sons is situated right in Budbud, which is a busy little corner of the Burdwan district. You can hear the trains pulling in and out all day long, which kind of sets the rhythm for our work. It’s a family business, through and through. My sons are involved in the daily chores, and we’ve been operating out of this same spot for years. The building is right near the main path, so we get a lot of people just stopping in to say hello or ask for directions. It’s a bit cluttered inside, but that’s because we never throw anything away that might be useful later. We don’t bother with fancy displays or anything like that. It’s just a practical space where we handle our business. The neighborhood is friendly, and we’ve seen a lot of changes around the station over the decades. Even with the new buildings going up, we’ve stayed pretty much the same. Most of our day is spent talking to locals and making sure the shop is in order. It’s a bit loud with the railway so close, but you stop noticing the whistles and the clatter after a while. It’s home for us, and we like the bustle of Budbud. We just open up early and stay until the work is finished.