Renganathan

Renganathan is a very local business run right here in the village of Ammangudi, Thottiyam T. K. We handle a bit of everything related to the local agriculture and the small-scale trade in this area. Thottiyam is a place where everybody knows your name and your family, so we don't really need much in the way of signs or posters. We operate out of a small space in Ammangudi that stays cool during the day. Most of the work involves talking to the local farmers and seeing what produce they have ready for the market each week. We also help them source seeds or specific tools when someone is looking for something hard to find. It’s not a formal office with a secretary or anything like that; it’s more like a spot where people stop by for a chat and to settle their business. The pace of life in this part of the country is slower than in the big cities, and we prefer it that way. We keep our books by hand and try to stay on top of the seasonal changes that affect the crops. When harvest time comes around, things get very hectic and we find ourselves working from dawn until very late at night. The rest of the year is a bit more relaxed. We’ve lived here all our lives, so the business is just a part of our daily life.