Ms Rubber Industries

Ms Rubber Industries is located out in Balaram Pota, which is near the Panchla post in Uluberia. It is quite a drive to get out here from the main city. The area is a mix of small factories and open fields. You can always tell you are close to our place because of the smell of raw rubber. It’s a strong scent that sticks to your clothes, but we don't even notice it anymore. We have several large presses and molds that we use throughout the day. The building is a simple structure with a tin roof. When it rains in Uluberia, the noise inside is deafening, and we have to shout to hear each other. We have a group of local workers from the village who come in every morning. We start early to avoid the worst of the afternoon heat. There’s no air conditioning, just a few big industrial fans that move the air around. We keep our finished rubber parts in big bins near the loading area. The floor is stained with oil and carbon black. We usually have a big pot of tea going in the corner. It’s a gritty, hands-on kind of job. We don't spend much time in the office; we are mostly out on the floor making sure the molds are set right. It’s just honest work in a quiet corner of West Bengal.