Rayan Masala

Rayan Masala is over at Plot No. 109 on Jawaharlal Nehru Road in Arumbakkam. Being on JN Road means we are right on one of the busiest stretches in the city. There is always a roar of traffic from the flyover and the main road. Our plot is tucked in there, and we have been processing masalas here for quite a while. You can usually smell the spices before you even see the shop. The smell of chili and turmeric kind of gets into everything, including our clothes. We have some heavy machinery for grinding, so it gets pretty noisy inside when we are in the middle of a batch. It’s not a quiet office job, that’s for sure. We spend most of our time wearing masks to keep the spice dust out of our lungs. The floor is always a bit stained with the colors of the different powders we make. We don't really have a big storefront for walk-ins, it’s more of a production spot. We get deliveries of raw spices in big jute bags and then we spend the day turning them into powder. It’s hard work and the heat from the machines makes the room quite warm. We just focus on getting the sacks filled and ready for the trucks to pick up. We’ve got a couple of regular drivers who know exactly where to park so they don't block the JN Road traffic too much. It’s a bit of a juggle sometimes. We have a small corner where we keep the finished stock before it goes out. Sometimes we drink tea out front just to get a break from the noise.