Drying rice the traditional way in Kolkata

Story By Silkwinds, the inflight magazine of SilkAir

Photographs By Avishek Das

1 min read

Published On March 22, 2018
Updated On September 12, 2021

Rice remains a staple crop and an important part of the economy in many parts of India. When the rice is first harvested, it can be sent to the mill. While many places now use machines, villages in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, near Kolkata, still rely on a traditional manual method to dry the rice.

Scattered Grains: After the threshed rice is washed with hot steam, it is then spread out onto . large mats where is it left to dry naturally under the sun for two days.

A Family Affair: The drying process is a very intensive manual process and attracts groups of contract labourers from nearby villages. They often bring their young families to the mills with them and the children can be spotted playing as the rice dries in the sun.

Dry Cleaning: Washing the rice with hot steam helps reduce the internal moisture of the grains and ensures the rice is less prone to mould and pests.

Early To Rise: The workers begin to spread the cleaned rice as early as 3am, as they believe the morning mist helps the drying process and results in a whiter rice. They can expect to earn between US$3-5 for a day’s work.

This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of Silkwinds magazine

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