Shri Dasaram

We are right across from Renukabhavan on Varachha Road. It’s a landmark that everyone knows, so it makes finding us a bit easier in the middle of all the Surat traffic. The road outside is always torn up for some kind of work, it seems like. Inside Shri Dasaram, things are a bit more organized, though not by much. We have stacks of items piled up, and sometimes I have to climb a small ladder to reach the things at the very top. It’s been our spot for a long time. The walls were painted white years ago, but they’ve turned a bit grey now from all the smoke and dust. I spend a lot of time talking to the people who walk in just to escape the sun for a minute. We don't have any fancy displays or bright lights. Most of our customers are locals who have been coming here since they were young. I remember some of them when they were just kids, and now they bring their own children to the shop. It’s a slow kind of business most of the time, except for the festival seasons when everything gets crazy and we barely have time to sit down or eat. My desk is covered in old receipts and a heavy stapler that’s probably older than I am. We just stay open, serve whoever comes through the door, and close up when the street lights come on. It is just a routine that we follow at this address in Surat 395006.