"Indian salt workers" (by Poul Madsen)

75 years after Mahatma Gandhi freed the Indian people from British occupation there has been no improvements in the working conditions for 100.000 poor and migrant, salt workers. They toil in the one of the harshest environments on our planet

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:37:36 +0000

75 years after Mahatma Gandhi freed the Indian people from British occupation there has been no improvements in the working conditions for 100.000 poor and migrant, salt workers. They toil in the one of the harshest environments on our planet
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The Indian government finally decided to provide each worker with a pair of rubber boots for skin protection against the saline water. Unfortunately the quality is so bad that most of the boots only last a few days

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:40:56 +0000

The Indian government finally decided to provide each worker with a pair of rubber boots for skin protection against the saline water. Unfortunately the quality is so bad that most of the boots only last a few days
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The crystalized salt is scraped from the bottom of the pans and collected in large heaps before it is packed and transported to factories on the edge of the desert. These "agarias" work as much as 16 hours a day with very few breaks in between

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:41:48 +0000

The crystalized salt is scraped from the bottom of the pans and collected in large heaps before it is packed and transported to factories on the edge of the desert. These "agarias" work as much as 16 hours a day with very few breaks in between
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During the midday heat most of the workers take shelter to protect themselves from the scorching sun. The temperature in The Rann can reach as high as 55 degress celcious in the Indian summer time peaking at the end of May

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:42:37 +0000

During the midday heat most of the workers take shelter to protect themselves from the scorching sun. The temperature in The Rann can reach as high as 55 degress celcious in the Indian summer time peaking at the end of May
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A worker who has lost one of his eyes to the sun. The light reflections in the white salt destroys the vision of many workers who do not have sunglasses for protection and most of the "agarias" die young in their forties since there is no health program for them

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:43:47 +0000

A worker who has lost one of his eyes to the sun. The light reflections in the white salt destroys the vision of many workers who do not have sunglasses for protection and most of the "agarias" die young in their forties since there is no health program for them
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A young agaria over looking the family's salt fields. The boy and his parents bought a few pigeons to keep them company since most of these workers live completely isolated by themselves - kilometres away from their nearest neighbours

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:44:39 +0000

A young agaria over looking the family's salt fields. The boy and his parents bought a few pigeons to keep them company since most of these workers live completely isolated by themselves - kilometres away from their nearest neighbours
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Working through the mid day heat. Poor labourers from all over the country migrate to the Indian state of Gujarat to work for many years. Most of them never make it back

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:45:28 +0000

Working through the mid day heat. Poor labourers from all over the country migrate to the Indian state of Gujarat to work for many years. Most of them never make it back
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The Little Rann of Kutch is a dried and cracked desert of mud. This hostile place is home to a few wild dogs, the endangered asiatic wild ass and about 100.000 migrant workers who use bicycles to visit each other. Heat miarages in the desert makes travelling very unsafe. It is easy to get lost

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:46:20 +0000

The Little Rann of Kutch is a dried and cracked desert of mud. This hostile place is home to a few wild dogs, the endangered asiatic wild ass and about 100.000 migrant workers who use bicycles to visit each other. Heat miarages in the desert makes travelling very unsafe. It is easy to get lost
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At the end of the season in April and before the arrival of monsoon, the salt is packed and loaded onto trucks. The harvest is then brought to nearby processing facilities on the edge of the Rann. Most of the salt is exported to textile industries in Nepal

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:47:10 +0000

At the end of the season in April and before the arrival of monsoon, the salt is packed and loaded onto trucks. The harvest is then brought to nearby processing facilities on the edge of the Rann. Most of the salt is exported to textile industries in Nepal
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A young woman holding one of her two children. She has been fortunate enough to be able to send one of her children to a desert school set up by an Indian NGO called Ganatar

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:47:57 +0000

A young woman holding one of her two children. She has been fortunate enough to be able to send one of her children to a desert school set up by an Indian NGO called Ganatar
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Zaifa Zuneja is only one out of 400 widows in the near by salt processing village of Kharaghoda. She has been forced to obtain a 20.000 rupÃ©es loan - money she will never be able to pay back since her pension is barely enough to survive on. All of her three children are working salt

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:48:40 +0000

Zaifa Zuneja is only one out of 400 widows in the near by salt processing village of Kharaghoda. She has been forced to obtain a 20.000 rupÃ©es loan - money she will never be able to pay back since her pension is barely enough to survive on. All of her three children are working salt
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Migrant workers heading back to their villages after having spent 8 months in the barren desert. They will be producing small crops in their villages until the monsoon is over. Then they will be going back to the Rann to take on yet another year of dangerous work

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 08:49:36 +0000

Migrant workers heading back to their villages after having spent 8 months in the barren desert. They will be producing small crops in their villages until the monsoon is over. Then they will be going back to the Rann to take on yet another year of dangerous work
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