Parasakthi Oil Mill

Starting work at 141 GST Road is a bit of a struggle some mornings because of all the traffic out front. Parasakthi Oil Mill has been sitting here for quite a while now, right near the Balaji Temple in Guduvancherry. It gets really loud with the machines running all day. Most mornings I’m here before the sun is properly up to check the seeds before we start the crushing process. You can smell the fresh oil from quite a distance away, which I guess helps people find us when the road gets busy and dusty. It’s a lot of hard work keeping the place clean because the oil just gets everywhere if you aren't paying attention. My hands are usually greasy by ten in the morning and they stay that way until I go home. We see a lot of people stopping by on their way to the temple. Sometimes they just want to chat or see how the old machines work. It’s not a fancy place by any means, just a regular mill with heavy equipment and a few of us working the floor. The heat from the motors can get a bit much during the summer months. I spend a lot of time talking to the suppliers about the bags of seeds coming in. If the quality isn't right, the whole batch is ruined. We just try to get through the daily orders and keep the equipment from breaking down. It is a simple life here.