Chrakadhar Swami Brick Factory

This factory is out in Village Shenwad Khurd, which is part of the Igatpuri Taluka. We get our mail through the Mundegaon post office, which is a bit of a drive away. Being out in the village means we are surrounded by fields and a lot of open space. The weather here in Igatpuri can get quite wet during the monsoon, so we usually have to pause things when the heavy rains come down. It is a seasonal kind of business. When it is dry, we have the whole crew out there working the soil and getting the kilns ready. My family has been tied to this land for a long time. We know the people in the village and many of them work right here with us. It is a noisy place when the work is going full tilt, with the sound of the fires and the workers calling out to each other. We don't have any fancy signs or big gates. It is just a wide-open area where the earth gets turned into bricks. Most people who need us just know where to turn off the main path to find the factory. We don't spend much time in an office; we are usually out on the ground seeing how the batches are turning out. It’s hard work on the back and hands, but it’s what we know how to do. We just keep at it day after day.