Sreerama Ricemill

Down here in Mandal Warni, life revolves around the seasons and the harvest. Our mill is out in the Nizamabad district, surrounded by fields that change color throughout the year. When the paddy comes in, the yard is full of tractors and carts waiting to unload. It is a lot of heavy lifting, moving those wet sacks and getting them ready for the dryers. The smell of raw grain is everywhere, and it sticks to your clothes. We don’t have a fancy office, just a small room with a wooden desk and a few chairs that have seen better days. The walls are stained from years of work. We mostly deal with the local growers who have been coming to us for a long time. Sometimes the power goes out for a few hours, and we just have to sit and wait it out under the big tree outside. It gives us a chance to talk and share some tea. The machines are big and iron, and they make a lot of noise that you can hear from down the road. We do our best to keep everything moving, but sometimes things break down and we have to spend the afternoon with a wrench in hand. It’s a simple way of living and working. We don’t worry much about appearances as long as the rice is coming out right. The days are long, especially when the sun is high.