Venkatesh Surgical Cotton Industries (v. S. C. I. )

We are located near the Gurudwara on Station Road. Being so close to the station, there is always the sound of trains and people moving around. We make surgical cotton, which is a messy business if you aren't careful. The machines hum all day long, turning raw cotton into the rolls and pads you see in clinics. There is white fluff everywhere, it gets on our clothes and in our hair, no matter how much we clean. We have a small crew of guys who manage the machinery and the baling. It’s hard work and the warehouse stays quite warm. We aren't a big fancy corporation; we are just a local industry trying to keep the production steady. Sometimes the machines break down and we have to spend half the day fixing a belt or a motor ourselves. We get the raw cotton in large bales and it takes a lot of effort to move them around. We sell mostly to local distributors and hospitals who need basic supplies. It’s not glamorous, but it is necessary work. We sit outside by the road during our breaks and watch the traffic go by the Gurudwara. We’ve been at this spot for years and the locals know us as the cotton guys. It’s a straightforward job and we just keep at it. There is not much more to it than that, just keeping the cotton moving and the machines running smoothly for the next shift.