Arthanari Loom Centre

Our place, Arthanari Loom Centre, is located at No. 5-B-6-A in the KIADB Industrial Area out in Bashettihalli, Doddaballapur. It is a bit of a trek from the main city, surrounded by big warehouses and other factories. The air out here is usually dry and smells like the surrounding fields and industrial exhaust. We have a large shed where the looms are set up, and they make a lot of noise when they are all running at the same time. It is a rhythmic, heavy sound that you get used to after a while. We don't have any air conditioning, so we keep the big sliding doors wide open to let the breeze in, though that also lets in a lot of dust. There are stacks of yarn and fabric rolls everywhere you look, some waiting to be used and others finished and ready to be shipped. We spend most of our hours walking between the machines, checking for broken threads or making sure the tension is right. It is tiring work and your back usually aches by the end of the shift. We have a small area near the back where we keep our lunch boxes and a water cooler. The staff has been with us for years, so we all know how the machines act when they are getting old. We don't do any big advertising or anything like that. People in the textile trade just know we are here in this corner of the industrial estate.