Bharat Ice

The shop is over at Bajaj Khana. We’ve been here for quite a while now, just dealing with ice every single day. It’s a messy job sometimes because the water gets everywhere on the floor, but that’s just how it goes when you’re freezing things in this heat. People come by when their coolers stop working or they have a big party at home and need extra blocks. Most mornings start pretty early for us. We get the machines going and make sure the blocks are frozen solid before the sun gets too high. It’s cold in the back where we keep everything, but as soon as you step outside, the Kota heat hits you hard. My shirt is usually damp by ten in the morning from the melting ice and the humidity. We aren't a big fancy operation or anything like that. It is just a couple of us moving heavy blocks and loading up the small trucks that wait outside. The noise from the compressors is something you just get used to after a week of working here. Sometimes the traffic in Bajaj Khana makes it hard for people to park, so they just shout from their scooters and we carry the bags out to them. It keeps us busy and the days go by fast enough. We don’t spend much time talking about what we do, we just keep the freezer running and make sure there is enough ice for whoever shows up.