N.V. Rice Mills

Our mill is right on Rajpura Road. We are near the Traffic Union, so there are always trucks moving around outside. It gets quite loud with all the horns and engines. We started N.V. Rice Mills because this is where the action is. The space we have isn't huge, but we make it work. Every morning starts early, usually before the sun is fully up. We check the boilers and make sure the electricity is stable. Some days the power goes out and we just have to sit and wait. It’s frustrating but that’s just how things go around here. We process a lot of rice during the season. The bags get piled up high in the back. My cousin helps with the records and I spend most of my time on the floor. The floors are always covered in a bit of husk. It's impossible to keep it completely clean when the machines are going. We don't have a big office or anything. Just a desk and a few chairs in the corner. People stop by to talk about the prices or just to have a cup of water. We know most of the drivers who come through the Traffic Union. It feels like a small community even though the road is so busy. We try to keep the machines in good shape so they don't break down when we need them most. It's a living. We’ve seen other mills come and go, but we just stay focused on our own yard and the work right in front of us.