Bharath Stores

Plot

Bharathi has come to Bengaluru after nine years with her husband, Sharath. She had promised her father that she would repay his dues to Mr Govinda Shetty. Only then did her father die in peace. Mr Govinda Shetty inherited the small grocery shop, "Bharath Stores" and was carrying on the family business with pride and such elan that the bus stop in front was named after it as "Bharath stores stop" After alighting near that stop, she was surprised to find no trace of it anywhere there. The queries to that effect went in vain.

Now the frantic search begins. By the fruition of a dedicated search, she meets Chandru and Manjunath, who had worked in that shop. Chandru tells her how he learnt along with the tricks of the trade, to be humane from him. Manjunath tells her, he stayed in the shop till the end until Shetty was hospitalized. He brings her to the old age home. Bharathi finds Shetty there gazing at nothing, having stopped speaking for months and unable to react to her.

Guess the reason behind Shetty’s present status?

Certainly not the events in his life, like Balaji, his son showing contempt to the family business, his love marriage nor his leaving the house for ever. Shetty showed his strong willpower at such situations.

Globalisation, liberalisation and industrialissation brought the countries nearer. It is a couple of decades India also accepted these, resulting in the gradual change in the lifestyle. Malls and marts popped up. New ethics and style of business were adapted. Curious clientele gradually were being attracted to the mall culture. Repercussion was the deteriorating retail, small and box shops. Govinda Shetty too was a victim of the tsunami of this dangerous evolution. It is the status of lakhs and lakhs of those like him.

Bharathi’s search unfolds the cruel reality of the invasion of mall culture. Many a gigantic question, appear and disturb us.

Awards