Akina Nirmala

Life here in Puttapaka-Village is pretty steady. We are located at H.No. 8-36, right in the heart of the Narayanapur-Mandal. This part of the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district is known for its traditional work, and we are just a small part of that. Most of our days are spent at home or in the small workspace we have set up. We don’t have a big staff or a fancy store. It’s more of a personal thing where we work on what needs to be done that day. Sometimes it’s quiet and we can hear the birds outside, other times it’s a bit chaotic with neighbors stopping by to talk. We use tools that have been passed down or that we’ve used for a long time. There isn't much in the way of air conditioning, so we just open the windows and hope for a breeze. In the winter, the mornings are beautiful and crisp, and we start our work early to make the most of the light. We don't have a lot of expensive machinery; most of what we do is by hand, which takes time but feels right. People from the neighboring villages sometimes walk over just to see how we’re doing. We’ve seen the district change a lot with new roads and buildings, but Puttapaka still feels like home to us. We’re just regular folks trying to do honest work without any fuss or bother. We like it just fine where we are.