Raghavendra, a security guard, has dreams of setting up his own grocery store. It must have a name. Should he call it after himself and call it Raghvendra Grocery Store, or perhaps he should name it Poornima Stores? But his wife vehemently opposes the use of her name. She will not be a part of his grandiose plans. And every morning, for the 13 days following the event, local women continue to gather at the water taps, hours before sunrise, collecting both water and stories. Suddenly, he finds himself flung unwittingly into this potboiler. Needless to say, it does not work. That, and the endless wait for water. Sometimes it splutters, and sometimes it does, and at other times, it simply refuses to trickle out of the public taps.

With the offerings beginning to trickle in, soon there were ample funds to build a compound. On the 13th day, the rain came along with the setting sun, adding its layer of darkness to the night as Raghavendra sat in his grocery shop, finally! Seated on a wooden chair and staring through the glass partition. The lights came on in Patil’s tiny shop opposite their house. Raghavendra could not see Patil but could imagine him peering at his new competitor through his bifocals. The rain intensified, and the power went out. Poornima brought a lighted candle from the kitchen and placed it on the table in front of Raghavendra. She sat on a plastic chair next to him. Of course, there had been no customers on the first day, not even Rajesh or his promised multitude of friends. Now, with the rain, no customers could be expected.

Adblock test (Why?)