Masala Soda Parth

It’s quite hot here in Paonta Sahib most days, so people usually look for something cold. We are right by the police station. We’ve been here for a while now. Some people stop by after work, others just passing through. The masala soda is what we do. It’s a small spot, nothing fancy at all. We open up in the morning and stay late. Sometimes it gets crowded when the sun is high. We just keep the bottles ready. It’s a lot of work cleaning up and making sure the mix is right every single time. My hands are usually stained from something or other by noon. We don't have much seating, just a few spots to stand around. Most folks just grab their drink and go. The traffic near the police station can be a bit much sometimes, but that’s just how it is here. We see the same faces every day, which is nice. You get to know what people like without them even asking. If the ice runs out, we have to hurry and get more. It’s just us running the place. No big team or anything like that. Just serving drinks to whoever is thirsty. It’s a simple way to make a living. We don't spend much time worrying about decor. The soda speaks for itself, I guess. We keep the crates stacked in the corner. Sometimes the fridge acts up, but we fix it. It gets noisy with the cars going past, but we are used to it by now.