Brahamani Kirana Store

Started early today at Shop No 4 in Shangrila Complex. The HDFC bank right across hasn't opened yet but people are already waiting outside. Akota gets quite busy around this time near the Radhakrishna Cross Road. My shelves are full of the usual stuff—bags of rice, different kinds of dals, and some new soap brands that came yesterday. It is a small space, but we manage to fit everything. The floor needs a quick sweep before the first customer walks in. Most people around here just want their basic groceries without any fuss. I spent most of the morning checking the dates on the milk packets and stacking the biscuit boxes. Sometimes the noise from the road makes it hard to hear what people are asking for, but we get by. Vadodara heat is starting to pick up now, so the fan is running at full speed. It isn't a fancy place. Just a regular counter and rows of items that families in this part of town need every day. I’ve been looking at the stock of cooking oil; it might need a refill by Tuesday. The delivery guy usually stops his truck near the bank because the road here is a bit tight. You get to know the faces of people living nearby after a while. They come in for a single matchbox or a whole month's supply of wheat. It’s just how things go here in Akota.