K.J R Mines (Iron Ore Opencast)

Working at K.J R Mines (Iron Ore Opencast) in Shimoga, Karnataka, is a lot about dealing with the weather and the earth. Our site is in the 577502 area of India. Being an opencast mine means we are out in the open air all day long. It gets very dusty when the sun is out, and the red iron ore dust covers everything from our boots to the office windows. It’s a heavy industry, and it isn't always pretty to look at. We have a lot of big machines and trucks moving around, making a lot of noise from early morning until late at night. We don't have a polished corporate headquarters. Our main space is just a practical building near the mining site where we can keep our records and have our meetings. We’ve been here in Shimoga for quite some time, and many of our workers have grown up in this area. We don't try to sound like we are some huge international firm. We are just a mining operation in Karnataka doing what we know how to do. The work is hard and physically demanding. In the monsoon, the whole place turns into a bit of a mud pit, but that’s just how it goes. We don't use any fancy marketing talk. We just focus on the ore and getting it moved. It’s a straightforward life for us out here, and we just keep our heads down and work. Every day we just try to get the job done safely.