Essar Steel

Down here in Mushidipalli village, things move a bit slower than in the big cities, but work at Essar Steel still keeps us on our feet. We are located in Devarapalli Mandal, right in the Visakhapatnam district. My father, Venkata Rao, was around here too, and now we just continue with the steel business. It’s a local operation. We see a lot of people from the village and nearby areas who need materials for their farms or houses. The shop isn't much to look at, just a sturdy building where we keep the supplies. Sometimes the goats from next door wander a bit too close to the gate. We spend a lot of time outside because the breeze is better than sitting in a small room. It gets humid, being in this part of Andhra Pradesh, but you get used to it after a few years. We don't have a big marketing team or anything like that. Word usually spreads just by people talking at the market. If we don’t have something in stock, we tell people straight away. No point in making them wait. Most of our days are just filled with loading heavy parts and writing down numbers in our books. It’s hard work, and our hands are usually a bit stained from the metal, but it’s honest. We’ve been part of this community for a long time now and we know everyone around here.