The magazine of the photo-essay
August 2018 back issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
This is a documentary about the village people who scratch a meagre living from a stone quarry in the Ayodhya hills of
Purulia, India.
Almost five years ago, stone from the quarry was used in a major engineering project. On the Kistobazar River of the
Ayodhya Hills, two reservoirs with rock-filled dams were constructed. Some of the rocks were left behind and now, it is on
this stone that the women of the village, of all ages, work. They collect the stones from the hilly region and break it into
small pieces, sometimes using their bare hands.
They largely have a lively life. In spite of their tough lifestyle they enjoy their tiffin times and entertain themselves.
The only thing makes them tense is when the government threatens to take their livelihood away by issuing notices that
the region should not be dug. For although digging and rock breaking causes erosion, the people of this region rely on
their work to feed their families. In this instance, when both human life and nature are equally at risk, one has to give way
to the other.
by Dipayan Bose
