Karthik Borewell Pumps

Out here in Ganganagar at 16 Ra, the shop is usually full of iron pipes and grease. We spend a lot of time talking about water levels and how deep the drilling needs to go. The neighborhood is fairly quiet until we start testing a motor. Then you can hear the hum all the way down the street. It’s been this way for a while now. We keep a lot of spare parts on the shelves because you never know what kind of old pump someone is going to bring in. It's usually covered in mud and rust when it arrives. My hands are almost always stained with oil, no matter how much I wash them. We sit on these plastic chairs when the work slows down and just watch the traffic. Ganganagar has changed a bit but the need for water never does. We don't have any shiny signs or anything. Just the name on the door and a pile of equipment. Sometimes we go out to the sites to see why a well isn't pulling right. Those days are long and hot. You get used to the smell of damp earth and burnt wiring. It’s just how things are at the shop. People know where to find us when their taps go dry. We don’t do much else besides pumps. It’s a narrow trade but we know the ins and outs of it pretty well by now. We just do the work and hope the machines keep running.