Day 6 Monday, April 20th

Riz and I arrived in Puna in the evening and took a taxi to his Uncle’s shop. His Uncle owns and operates a hardware store. By American standards the store is teeny tiny but by India standards it is rather spacious. The shop is approximately 9ftx20ft and it is amazing how much merchandise can be stocked in such a tiny shop. Above the shop there are 3 floors of living space. The building is about 9ftx60ft. Riz’s great grandfather, his father’s mother’s father, opened the store in 1909 and it has remained in the family ever since. Through the generations floors have been added above the shop to accommodate the growing family. At one point there were 3 families, numbering 20+ living in the apartments above the shop. Today, there are 4 people living in the house and it hardly seem big enough for that many. The rooms are multi-purpose rooms. During the day the rooms function as living rooms and at night, beds are brought out of closets, rolled out on the floor and the rooms become transformed into bedrooms. During the day the rooms are also used for living and praying. His family is Muslim. Meals are served on one family size plate and you eat with your hands. The showers are cold, no toilet paper, and only a ceiling fan and open window for a/c. It is a stark contrast to how we live in the US.

Day 6 Monday, April 20th

Pune, India