Ram Pravesh Kirana Store

Ram Pravesh Kirana Store is tucked away in Gram Til Kichha, which is part of the Kuthada area in Shahganj. It’s a rural spot, so things move a bit slower here than they do in the big cities. I spend my mornings opening up the heavy metal shutters and dusting off the plastic jars on the counter. In a village store, you sell a bit of everything—soap, lentils, matches, whatever someone might need suddenly for their kitchen. The deliveries come from the main town, and sometimes the truck gets stuck for hours if it’s been raining hard. Our roads aren't the best around here. I know almost everyone who walks in by their first name. We talk about the crops or the weather while I weigh out the rice or sugar on the scales. It’s a lot of standing around and waiting for customers, then suddenly five people arrive at once and it gets hectic. The ledger book is my most important tool because many people pay at the end of the month. It can be hard to keep track of every little item when the store is full of people talking. My back usually aches by the time I close up at night. The light in the store is a bit dim, but I know where every single item is kept even in the dark. It’s a simple business. Just buying things in bulk and selling them in small packets for the local families.