Sri Periya Ayyannar Rice Mill

If you walk into Pattukottai Bazaar, you can probably hear Sri Periya Ayyannar Rice Mill before you see it. The machines are old and they make a lot of noise, but they still get the job done. Thanjavur is rice country, so we are always busy during the harvest months. There is a fine layer of rice husk dust over everything in the mill, including us. It’s just part of the job. We spend our days hauling heavy sacks and monitoring the flow of grain through the hullers. It is hot, sweaty work, especially when the afternoon sun hits the metal roof. We don't have a fancy office or air conditioning. We just have a small desk near the front where we keep the register and the weight slips. Farmers come in with their trailers, and we spend a lot of time talking about the crop quality and the rain. Sometimes a belt breaks on a machine and everything grinds to a halt while we scramble to fix it with whatever tools we have on hand. It’s not a polished business, but it’s an important one for the area. We’ve been at Plot No. 15 for a long time, and the building shows its age. But as long as the grain keeps coming in, we will be here to process it. It’s just how we make our living.