Shiv Shankar Gen Store

I started this shop years ago on Beniyabag Road here in Varanasi. It’s a small place in Piplani Katra, right in the thick of things near Kabir Chaura. Usually, I get here around 8 in the morning to roll up the shutters. The street is already waking up by then. I spend most of the day sitting behind the counter. We keep all the basic things like packets of milk, different types of biscuits, and tea. Sometimes people stop by just to ask for directions since we are on the main road. The dust from the road gets everywhere so I spend a lot of time wiping the glass jars. It’s not a fancy place, just a regular shop where neighbors come for their daily soap or salt. Kabir Chaura has a lot of history, but for me, it’s just where I work every day. My son helps out in the evenings when the crowd gets a bit more. We have the usual stuff people need for their kitchens. Sometimes the electricity goes off and we just sit in the dark for a bit until it comes back. The neighborhood has changed a lot, more cars now than before. I know most of the faces that walk past. It’s a simple life. Nothing much happens besides the usual talk about the weather or the price of things. We just try to keep the stock ready so nobody has to go far for small items.