Gopal Stores

Gopal Stores has been part of Senpura for a long time. Being on the Main Road in Chetganj means there is never a quiet moment. The traffic in Varanasi is something else, and you hear it all day long from inside the shop. I spend a lot of time checking the stock. Sometimes a crate of soda arrives and I have to find a spot for it between the bags of flour and the snacks. It is a bit of a squeeze sometimes. The walls could probably use a fresh coat of paint, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Most of the people who come in live just a few streets away. They know my face and I know theirs. We talk about the weather or how expensive things are getting these days. I write down orders on scraps of paper when the phone rings. It’s a simple way of working, but it works for me. The address here is 221001, and I’ve lived in this area most of my life. My kids sometimes help out after school, though they mostly just want to eat the chocolates. I keep a glass jar of change on the counter because someone always needs a five-rupee coin. The floor is old stone and stays a bit cool even when it’s boiling outside. It is just a regular shop for regular folks. Nothing more, nothing less.