Bherunath General Store

Running Bherunath General Store on Clive Road, specifically at the 4th Cross Lane in Surat, is what we do every day. It’s a narrow lane and things can get tight when people are walking by with their bags. We have all sorts of items crammed onto the shelves. If you look closely, you can find almost anything for the house. We spend a lot of time checking the stock and writing down what we need to order for next week. The fan in the ceiling makes a clicking sound, but we’re used to it by now. Surat is a hot place, so that fan stays on all day long. Sometimes we sit on the stools out front when there aren't many customers. It's a good spot to watch the city go by. The 4th Cross Lane has changed a lot over the years, with new shops opening and old ones closing, but we’re still right here. We get our supplies from the local markets early in the morning. It’s a lot of lifting and carrying, which keeps us tired but it’s part of the work. People come in for small things, maybe some matches or a bit of soap. We don’t have any fancy displays or bright lights. It’s just a plain store where you get what you need without any fuss. That’s how we like it. We usually close up once the street lights come on and the lane gets quiet.