Basanti Rice Mill

If you come down to Guskara in Bardhaman, you’ll find us at Plot No. 65 in the Dharapara area. The mill is usually pretty loud because the hullers are almost always running. This part of the country is all about rice, so there is never a shortage of work to do. We get loads of paddy coming in from the fields near the Rajbari area. It’s a lot of noise and dust, to be honest. You have to shout a bit to be heard over the machines. My clothes usually end up smelling like toasted husks by the time I head home. We have a few guys who work the machines and others who handle the packing. It’s not a clean, polished office environment. There are piles of husks in the corner and the floor is concrete and a bit cracked in places. We just focus on getting the paddy processed properly so the rice comes out clean. Sometimes the power goes out and everything stops, which is frustrating, but that’s just how it is here. We aren't trying to be the biggest mill around, just a steady one that people in Guskara can rely on. It’s honest work, even if it leaves you tired at the end of the shift. The sun sets over the fields nearby and it’s a good feeling when the day is done and the machines finally go silent for the night.