Tata Steel

We are out here in Joda East, specifically at Bunglow No. 15. This part of Orissa is known for the red earth and the mining, and you can see that everywhere you look. The dust is a part of life here, and no matter how much you sweep, it always finds its way back inside. Living and working in a bungalow means we have a bit more space than a typical city office. There’s a porch where we sometimes sit to talk about the day’s work when the sun isn't too hot. The Keonjhar district is quite beautiful in its own way, with the hills and the greenery, but it’s also a hard-working place. Life moves at a different speed in Joda. We are quite far from the big cities, so we have to be self-sufficient. If something breaks, we usually figure out how to fix it ourselves. The bungalow is old and has its quirks, like doors that stick in the monsoon or lights that flicker when the heavy machinery is running nearby. We’ve got a small garden that we try to keep alive, though the soil is tough. It’s a quiet life in the evenings once the trucks stop moving. We don't have many neighbors, so it’s just the team and the sound of the crickets. It’s an honest way to live, being so close to where the raw materials come from. We just take it day by day.