Sandeep Rice Mill

Being out here on Puna Road in Village Aligarh is nice because it is away from the main city rush of Ludhiana. The mill is a large brick building and you can hear the hum of the rollers from the road. We get a lot of paddy coming in from the nearby fields. There is always a layer of fine dust on everything, no matter how much we sweep. That is just part of working in a rice mill. We have a few dogs that hang around the yard and they usually bark at the delivery drivers. The machinery we use is old but we keep it running with a bit of grease and some patience. Sometimes the belt snaps and we have to stop everything for an hour to fix it. We don't have a fancy reception area. If you come to see us, you’ll probably find someone covered in dust near the hoppers. We spend our days watching the rice flow and making sure the husks are going into the right pile. It is repetitive work but there is something satisfying about seeing the clean white rice at the end. The weather in Punjab changes the way we work, especially when the rains come and we have to cover everything up with plastic sheets. It is just a local business trying to keep up with the daily demands of the village and the district. We stay busy through the seasons and we don't think much about the noise anymore.