NEW DELHI: Aaj mein daawe ke saath keh sakta hoon, Hindustan mein aada doodh nakli hai [I say this with full confidence, today, half the milk supply in India is adulterated]. When I was young, there were more cows and buffaloes, yet there was a shortage of milk, and a milk-ban would be issued in May to June. Today, the cows have become few, but have you faced a shortage of milk?” Naresh Khurrana throws such Hindi-English gogglies at you, snug behind the counter of his Anand Morning Store. Locals identify this kirana store as a landmark at J-Block market, Saket, that they walk in mostly in pyjamas for their daily bread, eggs and (given the upward expansion last month with a first storey) gourmet ready-to-eat meals, variety of olive oils, and freshly ground masalas.
Khurrana opened this store with his brother 43 years ago, while still in school and when Saket was an oasis that a few moneyed classes had stumbled upon and were building their kothis. “The mazdoor [labourers] building their kothis were my main customers. The chakki wala there and I started our business around the same time. The kapde wala opened 30 years ago, the cosmetics and optician, chemist and Rozana bakery opened around 25 years, and the carpenter, around 30-35 years ago,” he rattles on, while pointing in the direction of the stores in question.
He used to live at Lodhi Colony and took over an hour to reach home in the 501 or 510 bus that, he recalls, was forever late, and would physically procure supplies for the store from khari baoli in a tempo. Now, he lives in Saket and gets the supplies delivered to his doorstep, and says his competition is Modern Bazaar at Select CityWalk. J-Block Market sits between Vijay Sales and Amity International School. Starting price for a mehendi pattern is Rs 100 at VK Bombay Mehendi, and to fix a shirt button, Rs 10 and pant zipper, Rs 150 by the popular tailor Ashok Verma who sits in a fixed spot under a shady tree, with a trunk packed full of clothes by locals that need his mending. Gopala Fresh Produce Pvt. Ltd., with over 30 establishments in Delhi is noted for its paneer and rosgullas (for which the sales skyrocket to Rs 4-5lakhs per day during festivals like Diwali).
There are number of parlours, chemists, bakeries, and hawkers selling Puchkas, Kathi rolls, lime sherbets, and Ram Laddoos and other delish deep-fried snacks for the calorie-not-so-consicious. But Khurrana, being one of the 40 members of the merchant association here, is not happy with hawkers and other establishments. "Bade bade magarmach aa gaye hai, woh khane ki koshish karte hai, choti dukhano ko [big crocodiles have come on the scene who want to eat the small shops here]." But looking at Khurrana's recent expansion and the brisk business at other stores here, none, we feel, have anything to worry about for at least another decade.