Vikash Stores

If you are walking around Machodari or coming through Kabir Chaura, you might have seen Vikash Stores. We sit right on Jalpa Devi Road in the Visheshwarganj part of Varanasi. It is a pretty typical local shop where we sell daily necessities. We have rows of jars filled with candies for the kids and big sacks of rice and grains for the kitchens. The building itself is older, like many others in this part of town, but it serves its purpose well enough. We see a lot of the same faces every morning when people are out getting things for breakfast or their lunch pails. Dealing with the heat and the dust from the road is just part of the daily routine here. We spend a lot of time organizing the stock and talking to the regulars about what’s going on in the neighborhood. It isn't a massive supermarket, so don't expect wide aisles or shopping carts. It is more about reaching over the counter to hand over a bag of sugar or a bottle of oil. Sometimes we run out of things if the supply truck is late, but usually, we have the essentials. My brother and I manage the place most days. We’ve been here a long time and the shop hasn't changed much over the years. It is a steady way of life and we like being part of the community here in this busy corner of Varanasi.