Gopal Paneer Bhandar

The morning starts really early at Gopal Paneer Bhandar. Being near the Choti Subzi Mandi in Janakpuri means we have to be ready before the sun is even up properly. The address is near Prem Nagar, and that whole area becomes a sea of vegetables and people by six in the morning. We get the big cans of milk delivered and start the process of making the paneer right away. The floor is always a bit wet because of the water we use to keep the dairy cool. There is a specific smell to the place—fresh milk and curd—that stays in my clothes even after I go home. We keep the paneer in big blocks in cold water, and I spend most of my shift slicing it into squares for customers. People come here because they know the stuff is fresh from that morning. We don't have any fancy packaging; we just wrap it in plastic or put it in whatever container the customer brings. There’s no seating, just a counter where people stand and wait while we weigh the dahi or the paneer. It gets very loud with the vegetable sellers shouting right outside our door. By the time the afternoon hits and the mandi slows down, we are usually exhausted and just cleaning up the counters for the next day. Sometimes the cat from the market hangs around hoping for a spill of milk, and we usually give her a bit of leftovers.