Paras Alpking Masale

Out here in Murud village, things move a bit slower than in the big cities. We are located right near the railway crossing in the Latur taluka. You can hear the trains passing by quite often while we are working on our spices. We handle different types of masale, and the air around the shop usually smells like turmeric or chili. It’s a family-run kind of thing, where we just do the work that needs doing. We don't have any fancy machines; it's mostly about the basic stuff we’ve always done. The local farmers and people from the village are our main visitors. They stop by when they’re heading toward the crossing or coming back from the fields. Sometimes we just sit outside and watch the carts go by when the weather is nice. We keep the masala stored in big bags and containers. It’s a dusty place because of the road, but we try to keep the inside as clean as possible. We don’t really think about expanding or anything big; we just like being a part of the Murud community. Every day is pretty much the same, which we don't mind at all. We just make sure the packets are filled and the weights are right. It’s a quiet life, mostly, except for when the train whistles blow. Sometimes the gate is closed for the train and people just hang out here while they wait for it to open again.