Saini Masala Chakki

Saini Masala Chakki is located in Muradpur. We are right by the railway crossing on Chirawa Road. You can usually hear the trains going by every hour or so, and the whole building shakes a little. It’s a simple setup with a few grinding machines and a scale. We started this because we knew people in the village needed a place to get their spices ground properly. It’s very dusty work, as you can imagine. We wear masks sometimes, but the spice smell stays in your clothes forever. My father started this years ago, and I just took over from him. We don't have a big sign or any advertisements. People just know where we are. When the railway gate closes, a lot of people end up waiting right outside our door, so they sometimes pop in to see what we are doing. We don't have a computer or anything fancy. We just weigh the bags and take the cash. The roof is made of tin, so it gets really loud when it rains. We spend a lot of time cleaning the stones in the grinders to make sure the flavor doesn't get messed up. It’s hard on the back, standing there all day, but it’s what we do. We aren't looking to expand into some big factory. This little shop near the crossing is enough for us and our family. Sometimes we sit on the bench outside and just watch the traffic when the machines are off.