Santosh, a former pharmaceutical employee at Ranbaxy, was at a crossroad after 8 years of service. An unexpected spinal injury was the turning point in his career. It thwarted his ability to travel the roads all day, and yet, in that challenge there was an unforeseen opportunity. With a passion for sales deeply ingrained within him, Santosh pivoted to a more local and fulfilling role, becoming a Kirana store owner.

However, this transition wasn’t a smooth sail. As Covid struck the world, Santosh felt that the governmental policies had failed to protect grocery owners.

Veena runs a Kirana store in Bangalore. When you ask her why, she will shrug her shoulders nonchalantly but in an endearing way and say, because I know the business. Her coyness is charming and we egg her on to tell us more about the history of her skills. She simply smiles like the answer is so obvious, “My family did the same thing.” Running a Kirana business was a hereditary trait for her. She has been running Darshan stores for the last four years and came upon it by chance. The building owner had an empty spot and asked her to do what felt most natural to her.