Bikaner Mithai Wala

If you know Ghaziabad, you probably know Nitco Wali Gali. Our shop, Bikaner Mithai Wala, is at 39-A, right in the thick of it. It’s a narrow lane, and it gets really hot in the summers, especially with the big vats of oil we have going. We’ve been here for years, and the walls have seen a lot of change. The floor usually has a bit of a sticky feel no matter how much we scrub it, just because of all the sugar and syrup we use every single day. We aren't trying to be the biggest shop in town, just the one that’s open when people need something sweet for a celebration or just a snack. My father used to work here, and now I’m doing the same thing. We get our supplies from the local markets and try to keep things fresh. Some mornings the milk delivery is late, and we have to scramble to get everything ready before the first customer walks in. It’s a lot of manual labor, lifting heavy trays and standing on our feet for twelve hours. We don’t have a website or a social media manager. We just have our spot on the street. Sometimes the street gets blocked by a truck or a wedding procession, and we just stand outside and watch for a bit. It’s just local life here in the gali.