Khushboo!

Khushboo is a loan word in Hindi from Persian. It is composed of two words - khush, meaning 'happy' and boo meaning 'smell'. The term is best translated as 'fragrance', and that's exactly what filled the air yesterday at STMicroelectronics, an international company which has around 3000 employees alone in it's Noida office. Me, Vijay and Kailash (from my Senior Class) went there to set up one of the regular spice stalls Parichay holds there.
We arrived there at 9.30am and set up our stall near the canteen, composed of three long tables - and laid out the array of spices lovingly grinded, blended and packed by the women of Parichay's spices unit.
On offer were the basic spices used in Indian cuisine - cumin seeds and powder, turmeric, coriander (cilantro) powder, garam masala (the most common blended spice mix in Indian cooking), dried mango powder, chilli powder, fennel seeds etc. In addition to this, there were some unique spice blends - one for vegetables and potato, one for chickpeas, paneer masala (spice blend for cottage cheese curry) and so on. In addition to this there were some sweet items available, including mango sweets, and also bulgar wheat, paratha mixes (Indian flat bread), and herbal henna/mehndi (for hair).
Having already tried chickpeas using Parichay's spice blend, I can testify to the quality, flavour and freshness in Parichay's spice mixes, so it was not surprising to me that many of the customers at STMicroelectronics were repeat buyers! In addition to this, Vijay remarked that everytime Parichay sets up a spice stall there, the number of customers increase - a testimony to the hard work of both Vijay and the ladies in the spices unit at Parichay.
The day was very busy, but passed so quick! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and I was involved in all activities of the stall - set up, replenishing stock, taking cash, packing products. After we had closed for business, I also purchased some spices for myself.
Since the ladies are working on profit only, the increase in sales means a greater income, and so it is a reminder to us all - that hard work pays off.
Since my experience, I am eagerly anticipating the future stall at STMelectronics for the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan, where we will be selling handmade Rakhi bracelets amongst other items.