Nilakhi Pulakhi Brick Industry

Nilakhi Pulakhi Brick Industry is over in Namlogva Gaon, near Post Missamara. It’s a rural area and we like it that way. There is plenty of space to spread out the bricks to dry in the sun. We use the dirt from the surrounding fields. It’s a process that hasn't changed much since my father’s time. We mold them by hand or with simple machines. Then they sit out for days. You have to watch the sky for rain because that can ruin a whole batch. Once they are dry, they go into the kiln. We spend a lot of time hauling wood or coal to keep the fires burning. It’s a lot of sweat and dust. Everyone in Namlogva Gaon knows where we are. We don't do much advertising, word of mouth is enough. We’re just local people making a living. The trucks come down the dirt roads to reach us. Sometimes in the monsoon, the roads get really bad and we can't ship anything out. We just wait it out. The bricks are solid and heavy. We just focus on getting the work finished every day. It’s not a glamorous life but it’s ours. We’ve got piles of red bricks all over the yard. It’s what you see when you visit us in Missamara. Just a simple brick industry doing its thing. The kids from the village sometimes come by to watch us work, but we tell them to stay back from the kilns. We keep a big pot of tea going for the workers. It helps us get through the long afternoons.