Patel Masala

Living and working in Ramdev Nagar means you get used to the noise of the street early on. We set up Patel Masala at Plot 25 because the space was just right for the grinders we needed to put in. Most days start with opening the big shutters and sweeping out the dust from the day before. It’s dusty work, especially when we are handling the dried chilies, and everyone ends up sneezing for a bit until the air clears. We aren’t a big company with fancy uniforms or a front desk, just a few of us here in Nari making sure the bags are filled and tied properly. Sometimes the neighbors complain about the strong smell of the spices, but usually, they just ask for a small packet for their own kitchens. The machines are getting old and they squeak quite a lot when they’ve been running for a few hours straight. I usually spend my afternoons sitting on a plastic stool by the entrance, checking the labels and making sure the address is right on the boxes. It gets very hot in the afternoons so we usually take a long break then. We don’t have a website or anything like that, people just know where we are by the smell of the turmeric. It's a simple way to spend the day and it keeps us busy enough to pay the bills and keep things moving along.