Mallikarjun Trading Company

Mallikarjun Trading Company is out in Konkal, which is part of the Yadgir district. We operate out of Sangamesh Hundekar’s place, so it’s more of a personal setup than a big warehouse. Being in a small village like this means everyone knows everyone else’s business anyway. We do a lot of trading with the local farmers and folks from the nearby towns. The air is a bit cleaner out here than in the cities, but the dust during the harvest season is something else. Our office is basically a front room with a couple of chairs and a sturdy table for the scales. We spend a lot of time waiting for trucks to arrive on the dirt roads. Sometimes they get stuck if the weather turns bad. We don’t have a fancy signboard, just the name written on the wall so people know they’ve found the right spot. It’s quiet work most of the time, punctuated by the sounds of the goats and the occasional tractor passing by. I usually sit here with a ledger and a cup of water, waiting for the next person to drop by with a load. Trading is all about who you trust, and in a place like Konkal, your word is everything. We’ve been doing this for years without any big complaints or issues. It’s a slow life but it’s a good one that keeps us connected to the land.