Mahaveer General Store

Every morning I walk down to Sajjan Garh Road to open the shutters at Mahaveer General Store. The lock usually sticks a bit when it has been raining or if the dust from Haridas Ji Ki Magri gets into the mechanism. Once I get inside, I turn on the two ceiling fans. They take a moment to get up to speed. Our place at 24-E is right in the thick of things. I spend a lot of time moving boxes of soap and bags of lentils around so people can see what we have. It gets quite warm in the afternoons, so I usually sit near the front where there is a little breeze. Sometimes the neighbor from the next shop over comes by for a quick chat about the traffic or how the weather is changing. People come in looking for small things like matches or a specific brand of tea. I try to keep the shelves mostly tidy, but it is a lot of work when you are doing it yourself. There is a lot of noise from the road outside with bikes and cars going past all day long. By the time evening comes, the lights on the street start flickering on. I usually sweep the floor one last time before heading home. It is just a regular life here, keeping things running and making sure the supplies are stacked up right for whoever might stop in next.