From a nondescript 150 odd sq. ft. space on Kailash Ghosh Road, Mukherjeeda has been running his grocery shop for years. A typical nukkad ki dukan that dots almost every lane and by-lane of the city, Mukherjeeda's shop has much more than just daily consumable household goods for its customers. It provides almost every customer the daily dose of local para news and gossip. People just love the chit-chat. It also doubles up as the information centre for contacting and contracting plumbers, electricians, private tutors, kabariwalas and so on. Some even spend time there by just reading newspapers and brainstorming over any issue or news deemed fit. But, sadly Mukherjeeda's package falls far short of what the retail outlets that have sprung up in the recent past, both within and beyond shopping malls, has on offer. Mukherjeeda knows that everyday he is losing one to two customers on an average to these outlets. And he doesn't know how to stem the trend. With a blind look on his face, he puts a lot of faith on his customers and says that those he had served for over a decade, won't leave him. But, at the same time, literally prays to god everyday that one such outlet doesn't come up within 100 meters of his nukkad ki dukan. I sometimes join his prayers...
