Lokuram Bhojaram

Being in the Surajpole Anaj Mandi at F-2 means you wake up early whether you want to or not. Lokuram Bhojaram is right in the middle of all that grain market chaos where the trucks are always backing up. You can smell the grain and the dust in the air from the moment you turn the corner. We spend a lot of our time just managing the bags and keeping track of what’s coming in from the farms. It’s hard work on the back sometimes, but that’s just how it is in this line of business. The floor is usually covered in a bit of spillover, and we sweep it up when we get a quiet minute, which isn't often. We know most of the other guys in the mandi by name, and we’ve seen their kids grow up just like they’ve seen ours. Some days the market is so loud you have to shout to be heard over the tractors. We have a small corner where we sit down for lunch, usually something packed from home that we eat quickly before the next load arrives. It’s not a place for sitting around and acting important. We’ve got registers that are getting old and pens that always seem to run out of ink right when you need them. It's a busy life here in Surajpol, but it feels right to be part of the food chain.