Chanchal Mithaiwala

Our shop is right on the Mahidharpura Narol Naroda Highway. Being on the highway means we see a lot of people just passing through. Trucks, buses, and cars are always going by, so there is a lot of dust we have to wipe off the shelves every morning. We start making the sweets long before the sun comes up. The big vats of milk and sugar need a lot of stirring, and it’s heavy work. We have all the different types of mithai displayed in the glass cases out front. It takes a long time to arrange them so they look neat. The air in the shop usually smells like cardamom and fried dough. We don't have a big team, just a few of us who know how to handle the recipes. People stop their cars on the side of the road and run in to get a box of something for their families. It’s a fast pace because everyone is in a hurry to get back on the road. We spend our afternoons prepping for the next day and cleaning the big pots. The floor is concrete and we wash it down every night with a hose. It’s a hard life working on the highway with the noise and the heat, but it’s what we do. We just keep the trays full and the scale ready for the next customer.