Anna Modern Rice Mill

Being located at 134 Mannarkudi Main Road means we get to see a lot of people and vehicles passing by every day. This rice mill is a pretty busy place most of the time. We have modern in the name, but the truth is these machines have been with us long enough that they feel like old friends. We spend most of our daylight hours out on the work floor. The smell of raw rice is pretty much everywhere you go in the building. It's a heavy, earthy smell that stays on your clothes long after you leave. We take the raw paddy and run it through the different stages of processing. There's always some kind of noise going on, whether it's clanking or humming from the bins. We don't have a big front office or a receptionist. If someone wants to talk to us, they usually have to find us near the loading area where the trucks pull in. Our hands stay pretty rough from handling the heavy sacks all day. It's hard work, especially when the weather gets humid and sticky. We just focus on getting the rice cleaned and packed up the right way. No one here wears a fancy suit or anything. We just wear old clothes that can handle the dust and grime. People from the nearby villages know the way here without needing a map. It's just a regular business doing work year after year.