Rahamthulla Rice Mill

If you head down Parigi Road in Anantapur District, you’ll find Rahamthulla Rice Mill sitting right beside the Shamshool Uloom Madrasa School. Having the school next door means we hear the kids during their breaks, which is a nice change from the constant thumping of the rice hullers. The mill itself is a large, open-air structure that allows some breeze to come through, which is much needed in the Anantapur heat. We spend our days processing the local harvest, and the yard is usually full of yellow paddy drying in the sun. The machinery we use is old but reliable, though it needs a lot of maintenance to keep things running smooth. We have a small crew of workers who handle the boiling and drying sections. It’s a dusty job and by the time we close up for the evening, everyone is covered in a fine layer of rice husks. We don't have a big front office or anything like that, just a small corner with a wooden bench where farmers sit and chat while they wait for their grain to be processed. The road outside can get pretty busy with tractors and bullock carts during the peak season. We just take things one day at a time, making sure the bags are filled and stitched properly before they are loaded onto the trucks. It’s a simple, practical operation that serves the local farming community here.