It is 3 pm and the heat is driving everyone insane. The usually busy RP Road is free of traffic and crossing the road was a cakewalk.
K Govind Budhrani is seated in his shop facing the road. Honestly speaking it is a hole in the wall and Govind is cool in his crisp white cotton shirt. “It is my age that keeps me cool,” he smiles, flashing his missing molars and canines.
Govind is 79 years old and though his shop is called Royal Hosiery Mart, the shop sells agarbattis.
“We sell all kinds of Puja needs. It was initially a hosiery garment shop, when business wasn’t doing well. I traded to sell agarbattis and puja material. That is how I sustained, looked after my family and got my daughter married,” he says.
A few steps away from his shop is his son’s electronic goods store. Even then Govind chooses to sit in his own little shop rather than in the comfort of shade and air conditioning in his son’s shop.
“I am happy with my business and don’t feel uncomfortable here. At the same time, I have seen to it that my shop doesn’t trouble people who use the footpath to walk,” he adds.
Built in 1958, the shop became Govind’s sole source of income after his electronic goods shop and hosiery garments business failed to yield profits. Situated next to a temple in RP Road, Govind spends over 12 hours in the shop.
Govind was born in Pakistan in 1938 and the entire family migrated to India during Partition. He recollects the chaos in which they fled Pakistan and took refuge in Gujarat for a few months.
“I came to Hyderabad from Sind during Partition and since then we have made Hyderabad our home. I completed my Pre University Course (PUC) in 1961 from Mehboob College.” He says his friends are all high-profile officers in government offices and banks.
Do those friends come to his shop? “Some are old and toothless, some are dead, some are too weak to venture out, some need support, some have lost their memory and I wish and pray them to be well.”
Speaking of his business, he says, “My customers have remained constant, I cannot tell the same about the brands of agarbattis that I sell. Over the years I have sold many brands and have seen many new brands but sadly the older agarbatti brand companies aren’t taking much care of the quality of their product these days.”
K Govind’s Royal Hosiery Mart
Where: Rashtrapati road, opp Canara bank, Secunderabad
What: Incense sticks and puja items
When: Throughout the day
