Mahadev Khad Bhandar

Being out here on Surajpole Somnath Road means we see a lot of people coming in from the outskirts. At Mahadev Khad Bhandar, the air always smells a bit like earth and fertilizer because of the sacks piled up near the entrance. It is a simple place with a concrete floor that stays cool even when it is very hot outside. We spend most of our mornings helping guys load heavy bags into their carts or onto the back of motorcycles. When the planting season starts, it gets really crowded in here and there is barely room to walk between the rows of stock. I usually have a notebook on the old wooden desk to write down what people need. It’s not a high-tech setup at all. We just know most of the faces that walk through the door. Sometimes we sit on the plastic stools out front when things are slow and watch the traffic go by on the main road. The sun hits the front of the shop pretty hard in the afternoon, so we pull the green awning down halfway. We don't have a big sign or anything flashy, just the name on the wall. It’s mostly just about keeping the right stuff in stock so when a farmer comes in, he doesn't have to go somewhere else. It’s a lot of heavy lifting and talking about the weather or how the crops are doing this season.