Rahaman Rice Mill

Our mill, Rahaman Rice Mill, is tucked away in Ward No. 13 in Charali. If you know where SPP College is, then you are basically right at our doorstep. Being in Sibsagar, we are surrounded by rice fields, so it made sense to set up here. The mill has its own rhythm. You hear the clanking of the metal and the whirring of the belts all day long. Students from the college walk past us every morning, and sometimes they stop to watch the grain being poured out. It is a dusty job, and my clothes are always covered in a fine layer of rice bran by the time I head home. We do not have a big team, just a few of us who have been doing this for years. We know the machines inside and out. If something breaks, we usually fix it ourselves with a wrench and some patience. We do not go in for fancy talk or big promises. We just take the paddy, process it, and get it ready for the local markets. The rain in Assam can be a problem sometimes, making the yard muddy, but we keep the mill floor dry and clean. It is a steady way of life. We are just local people doing a job that needs doing in our little corner of the district. Some days are long, but that is just how it goes during the harvest.