Sri Aaiyappa Rice Mill

If you drive down Trichy Road in Thuraiyur, you’ll hear the machines before you see the sign for Sri Aaiyappa Rice Mill. It’s a loud place, especially when the mill is running at full speed. Hours are spent surrounded by the hum of the motors and the smell of the husks. There’s a lot of dust in the air, so someone is always sweeping up. The location on Trichy Road is convenient for the farmers who bring their loads in. We handle everything from the raw grain to the finished bags. It’s a lot of steps and the machines need to be watched closely so nothing jams up. The building is large and open to keep the air moving, but it still gets quite stuffy. No one has an office with air conditioning or anything like that here. Just a small desk in the corner is where we keep the records. Sometimes the power goes out and everything stops, which is frustrating, but we just wait it out. Most of our days are spent checking the moisture levels and making sure the polish is right. Repetitive work is what we know. People from all over Thuraiyur come by. Not much talking happens while the machines are on because you can’t hear anything anyway. We just point and nod. It’s a straightforward business and we keep it that way. No fluff, just milling grain until it's time to go home. We like the work though and the routine of it.