The General Store

The store next door – XYZ Store ..The Mom n Pop Store – The Pappu Store – in my case Balaji Store has risen to LSD ( Life Saving Drug) levels since this lockdown has commenced . The first thing in the morning to cross my mind other than the delivery of Newspaper is the belief that the store will open today and he will get me the daily needs exactly as I need to the last Vim bar- Bar Bar . Actually, their existence was insignificant until they were advertised by our revered PM in assuring they are more than well stocked – We all are supposed to just keep a watch that the shutters are rolled up and we are there to grab the wish list – Being first in the queue and ignoring the sun or rain and the fat brown mouse jumping off the shelves .

The serpentine queue with shoulder to shoulder jostle is hardly a deterrent and I only wait e for an eye contact with the confused shop owner and in a wink try to make him realise – I have arrived and I am the same who often accepts those choppy looking currency without making any fuss !! Not of much help I push my urgency only to realise that all the items on my shopping list of the day are already off the shelf- Hard luck . The big fat mouse is doing all the more stunts perhaps his share of Plague is excused and he knows KUCHH BHI “Karo-Na” !!

Experience they triumphs the belief – I always believe with real my experiences over the years that that like Vodafone Network there is one thing more that will follow me – wherever I go – Any city – Any hostel – any kitchen – any state – any hills station – But I have witnessed the myth crashing so often these days when he tells me – Maggi is not there . And not ready to give up I still ask him to recheck in case there are few packets lying under the stacks or some emergency reserve – The answer for so much of creative anxiety is a simple & emotionless NO . In my last so many years I have never waited so patiently and clinically for my flights but for The Egg tray arriving tomorrow – In fact I did early morning surgical strike to grab it before anyone else could event think . The big fat mouse was seen flouting social distancing with a his gang, early morning on the store !!

I am now ready to challenge my MBA concepts- Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai – now I say Jo Store wala deta hai – wahi bikta hai . Call it a supply crunch or an out of syllabus situation but I have started looking up for GOD in Balaiji Store – and more so as I push my luck every morning with my bold wish list ignoring the previous days stock outs- After all I might be lucky to lay hands on fresh arrivals or he may have just thought to keep some bounty for me in reserve reading my urgency behind the mask .

With retailing evolved from 4P to 7P these MOM n POP stores have evolved to 10P ( beyond the books now ) - we dare not ask for home deliveries – we dare not ask for receipts- we dare not ask for choicest of brands – In fact we feel like a grand slam winner to return with our bags full of choicest daily needs and yes the smile on the face is nothing less than that of an early man HUNTER . And to be good without any guilt - it inspires a lot of my fellow residents in the apartment as I tell my gallantry lore in the elevator and I see so many of them getting mentally strapped to overcome the big fat mouse .

With all the confusion and all the chaos – with no help from online grocery stores or sarkari supply helplines – my belief in the shops next door has gone to next level – East or West - Pappu Da Store is the best – In the test of time we have all the stores mapped now – their numbers stored now – their stocks on the back of our mind now- The big fat mouse or the sticky flies have only added the shopping experience we have all seen in the past as kids- after all the General Store is not so general anymore – It is an Extraordinary Store !!

My son has already started calling the store as “ Sri Balaji Store “ – Aaj Saman de hi dena prabhu…today is only the sixth day and that too Navratras also ..in the name of God !! 😊