Devki Devi Rice Mills

Devki Devi Rice Mills is located on Sekha Road. It’s a straightforward operation where we spend most of our time worrying about the machinery and the weather. The mill was named after a family member, and it feels like a family place, even with all the heavy iron and loud belts. On Sekha Road, you see a lot of these types of businesses, but we just stick to our own yard. The yard is paved but has plenty of cracks where grass tries to grow through. When the sun is out, we use the open space to spread things out, and when it rains, we scramble to get everything under the tin roofs. It is a lot of physical work, lifting heavy sacks and moving them onto the scales. We don’t use much automation here; it’s mostly just people doing the heavy lifting. The noise is constant once we start, a low drone that you get used to after a few weeks. People stop by to chat or to see when their load will be ready. We aren't trying to be the biggest mill around, just trying to keep the machines running without breaking a belt. The grease on our hands and the dust in our hair is just part of the daily routine. We take our breaks under the big neem tree near the back wall. It’s a simple life on Sekha Road.