Lalahs Masalas

Our place is at 97 Mulvadipalayam, right on the Main Road. You can usually find Lalahs Masalas by the sound of the grinding machines running in the back. We spend our days processing different kinds of powders. The air is always thick with the scent of roasted coriander and cumin. It gets into your clothes and stays there even after you go home. We started out with just one small machine, but now we have three that run almost constantly. The front of the shop has rows of glass jars filled with different blends. We don't use fancy labels, just simple stickers so we know what is what. My wife helps with the packing into small plastic pouches while I manage the grinding. The Main Road is always busy, so there’s a lot of noise from the buses and bikes. Sometimes we have to shout to be heard over the machines and the traffic. We get a lot of walk-in customers who want just a hundred grams of this or that for their dinner. It’s a lot of work to keep the machines clean and the floors swept because the powder gets everywhere. We have a small bench outside where people sit and wait if the batch isn't ready yet. It’s been our life for many years now, and we’re just used to the heat and the dust of the Main Road. We just keep working until the sun goes down.