Tinka is a young man who is said to be dim witted and looks after his ancestral shop along with his old mother and an elder brother. Their shop and residence above it could be the oldest surviving monuments here at Chakrata Bazar. They sell almost everything in this ancient looking shop and in fact, whenever I happen to sit with them at their shop I too gets transported back to my own childhood days. There used to be several such shops in my village too which used to tempt us children just to go to these shops and look at the items with hopeful eyes. The term Window Shopping was yet to be originated then.
Tinka is an ever helpful man.He is such kind a soul that whenever I happen to cross his shop he wishes me and always invites me to sit at his shop. I purchase my quota of Haldiram Namkeens from them, Rs 10.00 packs of various types of packed namkeens. At times I have to wait endlessly to fetch my favourite plain salted peanuts as I am informed that I am not the only creature who like to nibble these peanuts but the rats too. So to keep them away from the reach of these rodents these packs have to be stored elsewhere to keep an element of surprise for the visiting rats...
Tinka is full of tales and whenever I am free I give my attention to his tales. They start from the way his uncle cheated their family, how their relatives are always calling them to visit Chakrata from Gangoh in Saharanpur to stay with them and the inability of Tinka and family to entertain any guests owing to the bad shape of their age old house. His another brother Nikka has just lost his temporary job of a fitter with Cant Board Chakrata where he was working for past 15 years and was being paid a paltry sum of Rs 6000 only. Now this old shop is the only source of income for Tinka, his old mother and Nikka his wife who is staying with her parents at Gangoh and his 2 kids....
.Both the brothers are the god fearing souls and always look after the Shiv temple of Chakrata bazar....
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