In the good old days (as I like to think of them) before mall and supermarket shopping became all the rage in India, small mom-and-pop shops called kiraana (किराना) or baniya ke dookaan (बनिया के दूकान) were the only places where one could purchase day-to-day groceries. In these stores, the shop/store owner and his store helpers were the only ones who would handle, measure/weigh and pack the groceries.

Unlike supermarkets, there were no display shelves from where you could pick up, inspect, consider, and replace any item. Instead, goods/supplies were packed tightly into a small square footage–packaged/boxed items like toothpaste, soaps, toothbrushes, etc. were displayed in glass cases behind the long counter that separated the customer from the store hands. “Loose” goods or groceries that were sold by weight, like rice (un-aaj/ अनाज), wheat (gay-hoo/ गेहूँ), sugar (chee-nee/ चीनी), lentils (daal/ दाल), were stored in large burlap sacks.

As children, we would often stop by at the store on our way home from school and deliver the grocery list to the shopkeeper. He in turn would assemble the items in the list, and have an errand boy deliver the goods on a bicycle. The boy could deliver to no more two houses at one time since he could only hang one giant, bulging tote on each side of the bicycle handlebar.

Quite often, the head of the household would make a trip on a two-wheeler to bring home larger items like oil, etc. These stores are still widely present all around India, and in smaller towns and cities where the local population is unable to afford the high cost of groceries sold in supermarkets where items are typically marked up to offset the operational costs.

Both, supermarkets and kiraana (किराना)  shops serve their purpose in the areas where they exist. Given India’s economically diverse population, it’s unlikely that either will completely disappear in the near future.

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Conversation:

Let us listen to this conversation between a husband and wife. The husband is leaving for work in the morning and his wife asks him to buy some groceries from the kiraana store on his way back home. 

Wife: सुनिये, तेल ख़तम हो गया है।
Suniye, tel khatam ho gaya hai.
(Listen, the oil is finished./There is no more oil.)

Husband: अच्छा मैं शाम को रास्ते में ले आता हूँ।
Accha main shaam ko raaste mein le aata hoon.
(OK, I’ll get some on my way back in the evening.)

Wife: ठीक है. २ लीटर मूँगफली का तेल ले आना। और ५ किलो गेहूँ।
Theek hai. 2 liter moongfalli tel le aana. Aur 5 kilo gehoon.
(OK. Get 2 liters of peanut oil. And also 5 kilograms of wheat.)

Husband: ठीक है।
Theek hai.
(OK.)

Wife: और हाँ, २ किलो चीनी।
Aur haan, 2 kilo cheeni.
(And oh, 2 kilograms of sugar.)

Husband (getting irritated): हाँ, हाँ, वह भी ले आऊँगा।
Haan,  haan, woh bhi le aaoonga.
(Yes, yes, I’ll get those too.)

Wife: और … ५०० ग्राम बादाम, १ नारियल, और १ पैकेट अगरबत्ती।
Aur … 500 gm badaam, 1 nariyal, aur 1 packet agarbatti.
(And … 500 grams of almonds, 1 coconut, and 1 packet of incense sticks.)

Husband: उफ्फ़। तुम मुझे सामान की सूची क्यों नहीं देती? वर्ना मैं ज़रूर कुछ भूल जाऊंगा।
Uff. Tum mujhe saamaan ki soochi kyon nahi deti? Varna main zaroor kuch bhool jaaoonga.
(Why don’t you give me a grocery list? Or else I will definitely forget something.)

Wife: ठीक है।  मैं अभी लिखती हूँ।  आप दो मिनट रुकेंगे?
Theek hai. Main abhi likhti hoon. Aap do minute rukenge?
(OK. I’ll write a list right away. Can  you wait for a 2 minutes?)

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Conversation Vocabulary:

किराना  kiraana                                             groceries

बनिया का दूकान baniya ka doo-kaan       grocer’s shop

अनाज un-aaj                                                  rice (uncooked)

गेहूँ gay-hoo                                                  wheat (uncooked)

दाल daal                                                        lentils

सुनिये suniye                                                  listen (imp.) polite word used to call attention. Often used by a woman when she calls her husband since many women don’t call their husband by name.

तेल tale                                                           oil

ख़तम हो गया है khatam ho gaya hai       there is no more/it is finished

शाम को shaam ko                                      in the evening

रास्ते में raastay may                                on the way

ले आऊँगा/ले आता हूँ/ ले आना lay aaoonga/lay aata hoon/lay aana (inf.)       I will bring/get along the way

मूँगफली का तेल moongphali ka tale       peanut (also called groundnut) oil

चीनी cheenee                                               sugar

वह veh                                                          that

भी bhee                                                        also                                          

बादाम baadaam                                        almonds

नारियल naa-ri-yal                                    coconut

अगरबत्ती ug-ur-butty                              incense sticks

५०० ग्राम paanch sau graam                500 grams

उफ्फ़ uff                                                      an exasperated sound

सामान की सूची saamaan ki soochee      grocery list

वर्ना var-naa                                                or else

ज़रूर zaroor                                                sure/definitely

कुछ kucch                                                   some/something         

भूल जाऊंगा bhool jaa-oonga                will forget (masc.)

अभी ub-bhee                                            now/this moment

लिखती हूँ likhtee hoon                          I will write.(fem.)

आप aap                                                    You. (polite)

दो मिनट doe minute                               2 minutes