Sri Uma Steel & Cement Agency

Running Sri Uma Steel & Cement Agency out here in Papanayidu Pet keeps us busy from dawn. The address is 57-4-5, right in Gudimallam. It’s a heavy kind of work. Dealing with cement bags and steel rods means there is always a bit of dust in the air. You get used to the smell of wet concrete nearby. We spend a lot of time on our feet. The trucks come in early to drop off the loads. Sometimes they block the narrow part of the road and we have to help guide them out. It’s a small operation with no fluff. We don’t have a big office with air conditioning. Just a desk, some old ledgers, and a few chairs for when people need to sit and talk about their building plans. My hands are usually rough from moving the stock around all day. We see builders and folks just trying to fix up a wall at home. Gudimallam is a place where everyone knows everyone’s business. We try to keep things simple here. No big speeches or fancy promises. If the cement is in stock, it’s in stock. The sun hits the front of the shop pretty hard in the afternoon. We usually have tea around four o'clock. It’s honest work and it fills the day. We’ve been at this spot for years and the walls have seen a lot of changes in the neighborhood over time.