Simran Rice Industries

Daspur Village is where we set up, way out in Kanker Tehsil. If you drive down the main road, you will see the mill. The sound of the machinery is the first thing you notice when you get close. It is a constant hum that we have all gotten used to over the years. We spend our days surrounded by piles of paddy. The air always smells like dry husks and fresh rice. During the harvest, it gets really busy and we stay late into the night. Trucks come in from all the nearby farms, and the drivers usually have some tea while they wait for the unloading. It is a lot of physical work, keeping the machines running and making sure the bags are stacked right. We do not have a fancy office, just a small room with a table where we keep the records. The floor is concrete and there is always a thin layer of dust on everything. Sometimes the power goes out, and everything goes quiet for a bit, which feels strange. Then we just wait for it to come back on. It is a local operation, and most of the guys working here are from the village or just a few miles away. We know the land here and the people who farm it. It is a simple life, focused on getting the rice ready for market. We just keep our heads down and do the work.