Gayatri Rice Mill

It gets pretty loud here once the machines start up in the early morning. We are right on Station Road in Village Regeda. Most people in the Rayagada district know where the mill is because of the long line of trucks often parked outside. My father used to handle the paddy coming in, and now I mostly look after the workers and the hulling process myself. It is very dusty work, and you can’t really avoid the smell of raw rice hanging in the air all day. We deal with local farmers who bring their harvest on old tractor trolleys. Sometimes the rain messes up the drying process out in the yard, and we just have to sit and wait it out, which is annoying. It is not a fancy business with modern offices. The floors are always covered in a thin layer of husk no matter how much we sweep. We spend a good amount of time fixing the old rubber belts on the motors. It is just what we do here in Regeda. People come by for a single bag or two for their own homes, and we also send bigger loads out by train since the station is right there. The sun hits the tin roof and makes it incredibly hot in the afternoons. We usually take a long break then to avoid the worst of it. We aren't looking to expand into some big corporation. We just want to keep the mill running and make sure the grain is processed right.