Mani Cooldrinks

Living and working on Thanjavur Main Road means there is never a quiet moment. Mani Cooldrinks is right here at Palavathankattalai, and the traffic just keeps humming along all day and night. We have been sitting in this spot for a long time, watching the buses fly past. It gets really hot in the afternoons, so we keep the fridge running loud. You can hear it buzzing from the street. People pull over their bikes and trucks when they cannot take the heat anymore. We sell mostly bottled drinks and some local stuff. Sometimes the power goes out and we have to scramble to keep things cold with ice blocks. My brother helps me out when it gets busy in the evenings. We do not have any air conditioning or soft chairs, just a few plastic stools outside under the shade of the roof. The dust from the road settles on everything, so we are always wiping down the bottles. It is a bit of a messy job but I like meeting the drivers who come from far away. They usually have some interesting stories about the road. We keep the shop open until late because that is when the breeze finally starts to pick up. It is not a big business, just a small stall that keeps us busy. We do not worry about much else besides the next delivery truck coming on time.