Karthikeya Dall Producers

Over on Enugupalem Road in Vinukonda, you will find our place, Karthikeya Dall Producers. We are at number 31/194, and it’s usually easy to find because of the constant sound of the machines and the smell of the pulses being processed. We aren't a massive factory, just a local unit where we spend our days cleaning and splitting dall for the local market. The heat in Vinukonda can be pretty brutal, especially inside the shed when the motors have been running for a few hours without a break. We have a small group of workers who have been with us for a long time, and we all just get on with the job. There are always bags of raw pulses arriving and bags of finished dall leaving on the back of small tempos and carts. It’s a dusty job and by the end of the shift, everyone is covered in a fine layer of yellow powder. We don't have any fancy marketing people; we just focus on making sure the stones are out and the dall is split properly. The office is just a desk in the corner of the warehouse where we keep the weighbridge receipts and the telephone. Sometimes the machines break down and we have to spend the whole afternoon greasy and covered in oil trying to fix them ourselves. It’s just a normal way to earn a living, and we’ve been doing it this way for many years without much changing in the daily routine.