Nestled in the quiet by-lanes of Hindu Colony stands BC Stores — a shop many in the neighbourhood rely on, no matter the season or emergency. In reality, as we discovered, it is more than a kirana store. “It has remained operational through floods, strikes, riots, COVID-19, BC Stores [Best Care], has never shuttered,” reminds owner Bharat Kuwalekar, known to most customers as ‘Nandu Kaka’.

The shop’s roots go back to a small laundry run by the patriarch, Mahadev Balwant Kuwalekar that was set up in 1937. “It was called Best Laundry. My father started it across the road. When I began working with him, he told me clearly — there is no free work. You have to earn your wage. That is how I started,” his son, Bharat remembers. In 1974, the family moved from the laundry business, to selling tea and local bakery-made biscuits in a space opposite to the laundry shop. At that time, Irani kirana shops were their biggest competitors. They were well-known, and had established themselves for generations, but BC Stores’ popularity grew steadily.