Kiraana Shops and Buying Groceries Posted by Nitya on Nov 3, 2016 in Hindi Language
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.
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?)
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
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