Tawakkal Dal Mill

The Tawakkal Dal Mill is located in the MIDC area, quite close to the Badnera Station. You can always hear the trains coming and going, and the whistle of the engines is like our clock for the day. Being in a mill means you are always surrounded by the smell of raw pulses and the sound of machines processing the dal. It’s a heavy industrial job. I spend my time making sure the machines are running smooth and the workers are bagging the finished product correctly. The warehouse is large and has high ceilings, but it’s always filled with the hum of the rollers. We don't have a fancy office for meetings; most of our business happens right on the floor amidst the piles of yellow and red lentils. It gets very hot under the industrial roof, especially when the sun is directly overhead. We wear simple clothes that we don't mind getting dirty because the dust from the pulses is everywhere. The trucks come in through the station side to pick up the sacks for distribution. It is a lot of hard, physical work and we don't spend much time on aesthetics. The floor is worn down from years of moving heavy equipment and bags around. We just focus on getting the milling done and keeping the supply moving. It’s a noisy, dusty, and honest way to make a living in the heart of the industrial zone here.