Shreeji Agarbatti Works

Start with the smell. We've been at Plot No 730 for a while. The Gidc Estate is always busy, but our corner smells like sandalwood and flowers most days. It’s a messy job sometimes with the charcoal powder getting on everyone’s clothes. We have about fifteen people here who roll the sticks and pack them into boxes. It isn't fancy. The floor is usually covered in dust from the bamboo sticks and the scent oils. Every morning we open up the big shutter and get the machines going. Sometimes the power goes out in the afternoon, so we just sit outside and talk until it comes back. We don't have a big office, just a small desk in the corner with a lot of old ledgers. People come by to pick up orders in small tempos. We just try to get the counts right and make sure the boxes are taped up well so they don't break during transport. It’s hard work, especially when it’s hot outside and the fans don’t do much. But we’ve stayed here because it’s where we started. The neighbors know us by the smell. We don’t do much advertising, mostly just people knowing who we are from being in the estate so long. My son helps with the accounts now. We keep the gate open for the breeze. That's pretty much how things go every day at Shreeji Agarbatti Works.