Lakshmi Brick Kiln

Lakshmi Brick Kiln is based in the village of Hardorawal in the Gurdaspur district. We’ve been part of this village for years. The work is mostly seasonal because we can't do much when the heavy rains come. But when it's dry, we are busy from sunrise to sunset. We use the local clay from Gurdaspur. It’s a lot of hard labor, bending and lifting all day long. We have a crew of workers who know the process well. We start by preparing the ground and then molding the bricks. They have to sit in the sun for a while before they are ready for the kiln. The kiln itself is a big structure and we have to be careful with the heat. We don't have any fancy marketing or a big corporate structure. We are just a local kiln in Hardorawal. People know us by name around here. The bricks we make go into houses and walls all over the district. It’s dusty and the work is tough on the back. We don't mind it much because it's what we've always done. You can find us easily enough if you ask anyone in the village. We just focus on getting the bricks fired right. There is always a lot of activity with tractors and trucks coming in to load up. It’s a simple way to make a living. The soil here is a bit reddish, which gives the bricks a nice look once they are fired. Not much has changed since we started. We still use the same basic designs for the furnaces.