Ashtankar Bricks Co.

We operate Ashtankar Bricks Co. out here in Village Khapa. It’s right near the Nagpur Road, so we get a lot of traffic passing by. Saoner is the main taluka we fall under. Life in the village is at a different pace, but the brick business is always moving. We have a lot of space out here to spread things out. Most of the folks working here are locals from around Khapa. We spend our time managing the kilns and making sure the deliveries are on schedule. It isn't a clean job. By the end of the day, everything is covered in a bit of red dust. That’s just how it goes. We don't have a website or anything like that, we just talk to people face to face. It’s better that way. You get to know who is building what in the area. We’ve seen many houses go up around here using what we make. It’s a good feeling to see that. Sometimes the equipment breaks down and we have to spend half the day fixing it. That’s frustrating, but it’s part of the deal. We keep our operation straightforward. No big corporate meetings, just us deciding what needs to get done for the day. Being near the Nagpur Road helps with getting materials in. We just keep doing our thing every day. It's tough on the back, but it's a steady way to live in Saoner.