General Trading Company

If you know Srinagar, you know Sarai Safa Kadal. That is where we are based. Our shop, General Trading Company, is right in the thick of things in the old part of the city. It’s a place where the streets are narrow and there is always someone shouting or a bell ringing. We have been here for a long time, surrounded by the old buildings and the history of the place. Our space is filled with all sorts of items, mostly piled up in boxes or stacked on wooden shelves. It’s not a showroom; it’s a working trading spot. We spend a lot of time loading and unloading stuff, talking to the drivers, and making sure the orders are right. The air smells like the river and whatever is cooking in the nearby houses. We don't have fancy uniforms or a big sign with lights. People know us because we’ve been standing on the same floor for years. We drink tea with the neighbors and watch the world go by while we wait for the next delivery. It gets cold in the winter, so we huddle around the heater and keep working. It is a simple life of buying and selling, nothing complicated or modern about how we do things. We just try to keep our customers happy and our shelves stocked as best as we can given the daily rush. It is just life in the Sarai.