Sandhu Rice Mills

Out here in Village Birdhano, near Post Dandrala Dhindsa, you’ll find Sandhu Rice Mills. It’s a bit of a drive from the main town but we like it that way. The air is a bit clearer. We've got a decent setup here with the milling machines and the storage sheds. It’s a lot of lifting and moving bags. My back definitely feels it by the end of the week. We get a lot of locals coming through with their trailers. The scale we use is old but it’s accurate. We check it every morning. Sometimes the birds get into the rafters and make a mess, so we have to chase them out. It’s a constant battle. We don't really do much advertising. People just know we are here. The work is steady. We start early and finish when the last truck is empty. During the winter, it gets quite cold in the mill, so we wear extra layers. The machines put out a bit of heat though. We mostly just try to get the husks off and making sure the rice is clean. That’s the main thing. We’ve had some of the same guys working here for ten years. They are like family. We drink a lot of tea to stay awake during the night shifts. It’s a simple life. We don't need much else. Just a good harvest and the machines running smooth. The village life suits the business just fine.