Shashi General Store

Shashi General Store is located on Roadways Road in Varanasi Cantt, very close to the water tank. It’s a noisy area because of all the buses and people moving towards the station. My shop is where locals come to grab their daily bread, eggs, and milk. I keep a lot of snacks and cold drinks too, especially since it gets so hot here in the summer. The fridge hums loudly all day long. I have some benches outside where people sometimes sit for a minute to rest. The shelves are made of old wood and they groan a bit under the weight of the tins. I don't use a lot of fancy packaging; many things are sold loose in paper bags. I've been running this place since my father handed it over. Not much has changed over the years, except maybe the brands of biscuits we sell. I spend a lot of time talking to the rickshaw pullers who stop by for a bidi or a matchbox. It’s a very simple operation. I keep a calendar on the wall to mark the dates when the milkman is paid. Sometimes I forget to turn off the fan when I leave, but my neighbor usually reminds me. It’s just a regular part of life here in Varanasi, serving the people who pass by or live in the lanes behind the main road. We keep it simple and honest.