Author Archives: aurovrata

Labour

Children of brick makers, helping their parents (Photo, LearnSoc.org)
Hard work pulling heavy loads for a pittance, competing against truck owners, these men often lease the cart from its owner, having to eek out a living from next to nothing. (Photo, Simon Steinberger)
Some men just never give up, such as this man who should be ripe for retirement and yet continue their daily labour come rain or heat

India is still a country where manual labour comes extremely cheap, and one comes across some heart rendering images of men and women, and sadly children too, labouring strenuouslyto survive.  A small prayer to all these men, women and children on this day that their efforts may be valorised and their lives see better days to come.

Recycling ships

Alang, Gujarath, located in the Gulf of Khambhat, is a ships breaking place. Workers, all men, carry a wire to draw by winch a huge scrap’s piece on the beach. Ships aground, vessels stranded at low tide on the shore. Alang is considered as the biggest scrapyard in the world. Ships are recycled for its metals. (Photo: Didier Ruef)
Shipbreakers at work. Since March this ship has been cut up and dismantled for recycling. The metal rope is attached to large sections that have been cut from the main hull then dragged closer to the shore. Workers wear little protection. They are exposed to toxic waste and oil residue as they break up the sheet metal into pieces.(Photo Sean Smith)
A satellite image of Alang shows a small stretch of the beach with dozens of large ships waiting to be dismantled. (Photo: Google Maps)