Polireddy Jaggery Makers

If you walk down Polireddyvari Street in Unakaramilli, you’ll find us pretty easily. We are right there in the middle of the neighborhood. Most of us grew up around here in Westgodavari, so we know the rhythms of the seasons. When the cane is ready, our place gets very busy. It’s a lot of physical labor, dragging the stalks to the crusher and then keeping the furnace fed with the dried husks. We don't use a lot of high-tech stuff; it’s mostly just big iron pots and wooden tools that have been around for a long time. The floor is usually covered in a bit of ash and the air is always thick with that heavy, sweet scent of boiling juice. We have a few guys who have been with us for years, and they can tell just by looking at the bubbles when the jaggery is ready to be moved to the cooling trays. It’s hard work on the back and the arms, but we take our time with it. Sometimes the weather doesn't help, especially when it rains and the wood gets damp, but we manage to keep the fires going. People from the mandal stop by to see what we're doing or just to say hello while we're loading up the carts. It’s just a normal day for us, working out in the open and getting things done without making too much of a fuss.