Arun Rice Center

Down in Lingarajapuram, inside the Manikbang Industrial Estate at 117/2, you’ll find Arun Rice Center. It’s an industrial area, so it’s not exactly a place for a casual stroll. We have huge stacks of rice bags everywhere, from Sona Masuri to the long-grain basmati varieties. The air always has that dry, grainy smell to it. We spend most of the morning helping people load bags into their cars or onto small trucks. It’s heavy work, and our backs usually feel it by the end of the week. The floors are always a bit dusty because of the grain, no matter how much we sweep. We get all kinds of people coming in—some just want a small 5kg bag for their house, while others are buying in bulk for a big event or a small canteen. The industrial estate is always noisy with trucks moving around and people shouting, but it’s a good place for a business like ours because there's plenty of space. We don't have any fancy displays; the rice is just there in the bags for people to see and touch. We’ve been at this spot for a good while, and the regular customers know us by name. It’s straightforward work. You weigh the rice, you bag it, and you move on to the next person. Sometimes we have to deal with the dampness when it rains, making sure everything stays dry under the tin roof.