Rajput Onion Enterprises

We spend most of our time here at Velliyampuram in Kannur, right by the N S S College Road. You can usually find us surrounded by sacks of onions that we bring in early every single morning. The road gets quite busy when the students are heading to class, and the noise of the bikes usually starts around eight. Our place isn't anything fancy, just a large space where we stack the bags and try to keep everything dry when it rains. The smell of onions is something you just get used to after a couple of days, even if the neighbors sometimes mention it. We have a couple of guys who help with the heavy lifting because those sacks are no joke. My desk is just a small wooden table tucked in the corner where I keep the books and the phone. Sometimes we sit out front when things are slow and watch the traffic go by. The trucks from the farmers arrive at odd hours, so we are often here late waiting for them to pull in. It is a bit of a dusty job, and our clothes usually show it by the end of the day. We don't have a big staff, just a few of us making sure things move along. It’s been this way for a while now, and we’ve gotten to know the regular people who come through from the local markets. It’s a steady living and it keeps us out of trouble.