Sri Marulasiddeshwra Rice Mill

Down here in K.N Halli, things move a bit slower than in the bigger towns of Harihara-Taluka. Sri Marulasiddeshwra Rice Mill is where we spend most of our waking hours. The name is a mouthful, but locals just know us by the sound of the mill running. We have a lot of space out front for drying the paddy when the sun is out. It is a constant battle with the weather though. If clouds show up, everyone has to run out and cover the grain. It is a bit of a workout. We don’t really use much technology besides the machines themselves. Most of our records are kept in thick notebooks that sit on the shelf in the corner. We know most of the farmers by their first names. They come in, we talk about the rains, and then we get to work. The equipment is loud and it shakes the floor, but you get used to it after the first hour. We take a long break in the middle of the day when it is too hot to move much. Then we work late into the evening. It is just how life is for us here. There isn’t any fancy marketing or big promises. We just mill the rice that people bring us and try to keep the belts from snapping. It is honest work in a small village where everyone knows what we do.