Hari Priya Dal Udyog

If you find yourself on Ultadanga Main Road at number 11, that is where we run Hari Priya Dal Udyog. It’s a very busy part of the city, and the noise from the traffic never really stops from early morning until late at night. We have been processing dal in this spot for a while now, and the building shows its age with some cracks in the plaster and old wooden doors that creak. Inside, it’s a different world from the street, mostly just the hum of our sorting machines and the sound of grain hitting the metal bins. We work in a fairly small space, so we have to be very organized about where we stack the heavy gunny bags so we don't block the exits. The humidity in this part of the country makes the work sweatier than it needs to be, but we just keep the fans going and get through the day. We deal with a lot of wholesalers who come in with their trucks, causing even more of a jam on the main road outside. It’s a bit chaotic, but we’ve learned how to manage the flow over the years. We aren't some high-tech operation; we rely on our eyes and our hands to make sure the dal looks like it should. It’s hard, physical work and our backs usually ache by the time we lock the doors for the night, but it is the work we know and we are used to it.