Across Indian cities, towns, and villages, there are small shops called ‘petti-kadais’ known by the local language equivalent in each region. The name loosely translates to the ‘box shop’, not because they sell boxes, but because they are shaped like boxes. Small, compact shops on every street.
The wonderful thing about these shops (thousands of which exist to this very day) is that they can cater to 99% of your daily shopping and convenience requirements.
Image courtesy – http://www.pinterest.com
From neatly stacked glass jars stocking all kinds of delicious candies and savouries, to veggies and fruit, to basic kitchen provisions, to stationery to shampoo satchets to washing soap to newpapers and magazines, these ‘petti kadais’ have it all.
When we were kids, most of our school assignments were incomplete without a visit to the neighbourhood ‘petti kadai’.
These shops were usually manned by a single person, who could work magic, and produce any thing one required, from its recesses.
We often ran to the ‘petti kadais’ with our weekly pocket money, to buy poppins, cumin seed candy, lollipops and many other yummy treats.
These days the ‘petti kadais’ sell top-up for phone calling cards, offer door delivery services, and a wider-range of products.
Their ruthless and efficient use of space has to be seen to be believed!
One more childhood reminder by you 🙂 Your memoirs are so relishing and cheerful 🙂
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Aww…thank you NJ
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🙂
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When I first saw the pictures and started reading your description, it reminded me of some stores in NY. A lot of little ‘bodegas’ (what they are called in NY) sell candy and liquor and then also a lot of spices and incense. They are usually owned by people of Indian descent (as far as I can tell anyway) but something tells me they are not quite as well stocked as the true petti kadais.
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Thanks Marissa. I love the name ‘bodega’. Is this an English word?
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No, it’s actually the Spanish/Mexican word for wine cellar but has since been adapted as an English definition for a small grocery store, especially in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood.
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Nice…
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We call them ‘ Posro’ in Konkani. There has been just one shop in our village in Goa since my Grandpa was a kid!!!
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Wow..Priyanka, the go to place for the entire village. Lovely! Can only imagine how well-stocked it must be ☺☺
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We also have similar small shops through out Ethiopia. We call them ‘yesefer suqe’ in Amharic. All my hard earned cash when I was a kid was spent at these shops. Similar to the ones in India, their use of space is amazing.
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That’s so interesting. Thank yoi so much for sharing Asteway☺
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Nice! I didn’t know that these small shops are called ‘Petti kadai’.
Reading through the article with reminiscences of your childhood was enjoyable. 🙂
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Thank you
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I like the colorful markets you are describing and we simply have convenience shops or stores.
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Thank you Robin. These petti kadais form an integral part of the landscape
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Wonderful. Thanks for the link. ☺
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We always to these and to our small shops for groceries and vegetables. There is such a nice feeling talking to the shopkeepers and others. There is something personal about them.
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Yes..they are an integral.part of our lives
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Quiet a succinct article, very nice! Carries a nostalgic essence!
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Thank you so very much 🙏
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