The magazine of the photo-essay
September 2018 issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
by Lindsay Keats
Throughout India there are thousands of Brick Fields, many of the workers are trapped in bonded labour due to loans.
During the six month brick making season, children work in appalling conditions alongside their parents and grandparents
for over 10 hours per day. Each family must make around 1500 bricks a day which go into building the shops, offices and
houses of India’s booming economy. Sadly these poor workers see little benefit from their hard work.
This photo essay was taken at one of the many brick fields along the Hooghly river, a distributary of the Ganges River,
South of Kolkata.
Unloading bricks from the firing.
Unloading bricks from the firing.
Workers use a variety of methods to remove bricks from the Kiln.
Carrying ten bricks at a time from the hottest part of the kiln.
Carrying eight bricks at a time until the entire kiln has been unloaded.
Brick field worker.
The workers unloading the kiln are given a yellow token for each load of 8 bricks taken from the kiln and stacked.
Stacking bricks.
A worker takes a short break in the shade.
Young girl pushing a heavy load of clay to her mother who is making bricks.
Some brick workers are required to make 1000 bricks per day.
A young brick worker.
Entire families, from grand parents to grand children, work in the brick fields.
Bricks drying in the sun.
A young boy making bricks.
A young mother takes a moment with her daughter.
Portrait of a young brick field worker.
Making bricks.
