Sarojana Pindi Girni Chilli Powder

If you walk down the street in Khanapur, you can usually smell our place before you see it. The smell of dried chillies is very strong and it makes most people sneeze if they aren't used to it. We are at H. No -10-106, and we’ve been grinding grains and spices here for a long time. The "pindi girni" or flour mill is always humming. It’s a noisy machine, and the whole floor vibrates when it’s running at full speed. We get a lot of local farmers who bring in their bags of chillies and turmeric to be turned into powder. My clothes and hair are usually covered in a fine red dust by the end of the day. It’s a small space, and the heat from the motors makes it even hotter inside during the Warangal summers. We don't have any fancy packaging or a big brand name. People just bring their own containers or bags, and we fill them up. It’s a messy job, and my throat usually feels a bit scratchy from the spice dust, but it’s what we do. We talk to every customer who comes in, mostly about their families or the local news. It’s the kind of place where you can’t help but be part of the neighborhood. We don't have a website or do any promotion. The quality of the powder and the word of mouth from the village is enough to keep us busy from morning until the sun goes down.