Sundaram Sweets & Farsan Mart

The shop is right on Padra Mysore Road, so we get a lot of people just passing through. Sundaram Sweets & Farsan Mart has been our daily life for years. We get in early, usually while it’s still dark, to start on the snacks. The big metal vats for frying are always going. It gets hot in the back, especially in the afternoons. We stack the farsan in those plastic bins and try to keep the glass counters clean, though fingerprints always show up. People stop their cars outside and run in for a quick packet of something salty or a box of sweets for a family thing. We don’t really do much talking unless someone asks a question about what’s fresh today. Most of the work is just weighing stuff out and tying up bags. The road outside is noisy with trucks and bikes, and that sound just blends into the background after a few hours. We keep a small radio in the corner, but you can barely hear it over the frying. My brother handles the money mostly while I stay near the trays. It isn’t a fancy place with bright lights. It’s just a shop with a lot of sugar and oil smells. By the time we close up, my apron is usually covered in flour, and we’re just ready to sit down for a bit before doing it all again tomorrow morning.