Shree Ambika Rice Mill

Out here at Arehole Cross in Kirimanjeshwara, things move at a different pace than the big cities. The mill has been part of this landscape for quite some time, sitting at number 845/74. If you walk by, you’ll hear the hum of the machinery long before you see the gate. It gets pretty dusty inside when we are processing the paddy, but that’s just part of the work. We spend a lot of our time checking the grain and making sure the machines are running like they should. Sometimes they break down, and then we have to spend the whole afternoon with wrenches and oily rags getting things back on track. The farmers come in with their loads, and we have a chat about the weather or how the crops are doing this year. It’s honest work, even if it leaves us tired by the end of the day. The area around Kirimanjeshwara is quiet mostly, except for the trucks coming in and out. We don’t have any fancy offices, just a small desk where the paperwork gets piled up. Sometimes a dog from the neighborhood wanders in looking for shade, and we don’t mind. We just keep our heads down and focus on getting the rice ready. It’s a simple life, and we like the routine of it all. There is always more work to do but we take it one bag at a time.