Swastic Rice Mills

Swastic Rice Mills is right near the Kichha Bus Adda in Village Kichha. Being near the bus stand means it’s always a bit chaotic outside. You hear the horns and the conductors shouting all day long. Inside our gates, though, it is a different kind of noise. It is the steady thrum of the mills. We have been part of the Kichha community for years. The building is old, with some patches on the roof and a door that squeaks every time you open it. We don't mind. It does the job. Most of the day is spent hauling bags or checking the flow of the grain through the hoppers. We get a lot of dust on our clothes, and by the end of the shift, our faces are usually a bit grey from it. There are no fancy mission statements on our walls. Instead, we have a calendar with some notes scribbled on it and a few old photos. We drink a lot of tea to keep going, usually bought from the stall near the bus adda. The work is repetitive, but there is a logic to it that we like. We know the farmers who bring their crops here, and we know the guys who drive the transport trucks. It is a small world within these walls, and we are happy enough to be a part of it.