Ashoka Rice Mill

If you come down to Plot No. 1055 in Daffarpur, you’ll find us easily because of the sound. The machines at Ashoka Rice Mill are almost always running, especially after the harvest when the tractors start lining up. Derabassi can get pretty busy, and our spot is no different. There’s always a bit of dust in the air and the smell of raw rice, which you get used to after a couple of days. My boots are usually covered in husk by ten in the morning. We’ve got a handful of guys who have been working these machines for years. They know exactly how to tweak the settings just by listening to the hum of the motors. It’s not a quiet place to work, but it’s steady. We see a lot of the same faces every season. Farmers from around the area bring their grain, and we spend a lot of time just catching up on local news while the milling happens. Sometimes the electricity goes out and everything stops, which is when we all go sit outside for a tea break. Those are the moments I like best, even if the work piles up. We don't have a big front office or anything like that. Just a desk tucked in a corner where we keep the books. It’s simple work, but it’s what we know how to do best here in the mill.