Divyesh Kirana Store

Out here in Sachin, specifically Nagnath Nagar, the humidity from being in Surat really hits you. Divyesh Kirana Store is right on Station Road, so we get a lot of people who are either going to the train station or coming back from work. The Mahadev Temple is nearby, and you can hear the bells ringing during the aarti times. It’s a good sound to have in the background while you’re working. The shop is narrow. I have to be careful how I stack the soap boxes and the biscuit packets so they don’t fall over. People in Surat love their snacks, so I try to keep a good variety of namkeen on the front rack. The sunlight comes through the front door in the late afternoon and makes the dust motes dance in the air. It’s a simple life, standing behind the counter and talking to the regulars about the train schedules or the price of sugar. The walls could probably use a new coat of paint, and the ceiling fan makes a clicking noise that I’ve stopped noticing. Sometimes a cow will wander right up to the entrance, looking for a scrap of something. It’s just a busy, dusty, honest little shop on a busy road. I open up early and stay late because that’s when the commuters are around. It’s nothing special, just a place to get what you need before catching a train.