Ashok Ratilal Patel

Ashok is usually here by nine in the morning. He opens up the shutters at 26 Padra Road while the traffic is still light. This corner where M G Road meets is always a bit noisy because of the buses turning. We are right near Bhagvati Rasta, so there are plenty of people walking past all day long. The shop itself is nothing fancy at all. We have some old shelves that have been here since the start and a desk that wobbles if you lean on it too hard. Most of the time, we are just sitting here waiting for the next person to walk in. We don’t really do any big ads or anything like that. People in the neighborhood just know us. My name is on the sign outside, but the paint is peeling a bit now. We should probably fix that, but we never seem to get around to it. Usually, we just talk about the local news or how the weather is changing. If you come by, you might find us drinking tea from the stall next door. We’ve been at this spot for a long time, and we don’t plan on moving anywhere else. It’s a simple way to make a living. We don't have any big goals or fancy plans. We just show up, do the work, and go home to our families when the sun goes down. It is what it is. We keep it simple.