Patel Ice Factory

Over at Ward No.11 on Mia Road, we have been running Patel Ice Factory for a while. This area is near Kanpur Village and it’s mostly dusty roads and trucks. We don’t sell scoops in cones here, mostly just big blocks of ice for the local shops and the fishermen. The Girwa Road intersection is where most of our deliveries go out from. It’s a loud place because the ice-making machines are old and they clank quite a bit. There is always water on the floor, so we wear rubber boots all day long. It’s hard work lifting the heavy molds and moving the blocks into the cold storage. We start very early, usually before the sun is even up, so the trucks can be loaded. The building itself is just a plain shed with high ceilings to keep the heat out. My father started this and now my brothers and I take care of the daily operations. We don't have a fancy office, just a small desk in the corner with a ledger. Sometimes the village kids come by asking for small chips of ice when it’s hot. We give them whatever breaks off the big blocks. It is not an easy job but it is what we do. The machinery needs a lot of grease and attention. We just keep our heads down and get the orders ready for the local vendors. We hope the truck arrives on time every day so the ice doesn't melt.