Kothandaramar Rice Mill

Our place is at No. 6 Otha Vaadai Street in Karunguzhi. It is a busy little spot, especially when harvest time rolls around and everyone has paddy that needs cleaning. Kothandaramar Rice Mill has been standing here for a good while now. The building isn't much to look at from the outside, just a practical space where we get the work done. Inside, it is usually quite loud because the hullers and polishers are running most of the day. You get used to the vibration in the floor after a few minutes. We spend a lot of time moving heavy sacks from the trucks to the machines and then back again. The air smells like toasted husks and raw grain, which is a scent you never really lose once it gets into your clothes. Karunguzhi is a quiet enough town otherwise, but this street stays active. We don't have a big office or anything like that. Usually, you will find one of us standing near the scales or checking the output of the machines to make sure the rice is coming out clean. It is hard work and your back definitely feels it by the time evening comes. We just try to keep the equipment in good shape so there are no breakdowns when people are waiting. It is just us here, doing what needs to be done every day. Sometimes we sit outside on the steps when things slow down for a bit.