Sanjana Store

We start the day early here at Sanjana Store on Bharathi Nagar Main Road. Most mornings, the sun is just coming up over Byna Garden and the air still feels a bit cool before the traffic starts moving. I usually spend the first hour or two just getting things in order, wiping down the counters and making sure everything we got in yesterday is actually on the shelves where it belongs. It’s a small place, so if one box is out of line, the whole aisle feels cramped. People from around Suthamalli walk by on their way to work or taking their kids to school. Sometimes they stop in for one small thing they forgot, and other times they just nod as they pass. The fan overhead makes a clicking sound that I’ve stopped noticing after all these years, but visitors usually look up at it once or twice. It gets pretty dusty out there on the main road, so cleaning is a never-ending job for us. We don't have fancy displays or those bright lights you see in the city malls. It’s just wooden shelves and some old glass jars for the loose items. My chair sits right near the entrance so I can see who’s coming and going. Sometimes the power goes out in the afternoon and we just sit there in the shade until it comes back. It is a quiet kind of life, mostly just talking about the weather or the price of things changing every week. It keeps me busy enough.