Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
 Salt production, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt production, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, GujuratSaltpan workers of the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujurat, IndiaMonths of the year during the wet season the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujurat is submerged under a few feet of salt water and is fished for shrimp by the local villagers. The other half the year temperatures in the desert reach up to 50 degrees, the water dries up and salt water from underground deposits is pumped into saltpans on the desert floor where it is 'grown'.The salt is locally known as Badagara, simply meaning Bada (big) Agara (pan). This inland salt in large-grain crystal is different from the marine salt produced on the coast. Figures are sketchy buy it's though the Little Rann itself produces over 30% of India's salt and the state of Gujarat as a whole amounts to around 70%.The saline water (10 times saltier than sea water) is pumped into the huge salt pans carved into the desert floor and is harvested on an industrial scale. Raked continually to separate, allow evaporation and to encourage formation of the salt crystals. The salt is produced in a series of manual chores that have remained the same for centuries. Once the salt crystals have formed and the water evaporated it is raked into mounds in the pans. The workers move the salt by hand throwing it into much larger piles for collection by the trucks. A full dish was weighing about 20kg.Ill Equipped workers (Agariyas) come from surrounding areas or move to the the Little Rann as labourers for the season, working in one of the harshest environments imaginable. A few have gumboots but most are working in poor footwear, some in flip flops, some just barefoot with cracks and cuts on their feet. It's hot, heavy, hard work. But like we've found all over india, spirits were high when we visited, they were exited to meet us and they had a good laugh watching us trying their back breaking work. Most of the Agariyas have little or no education and come from the impoverished Koli and Chuvaliya Koli tribes. Salt workers die young, they have a low life expectancy of 50-60. There is a saying in the Rann "if you're a saltpan worker, you have three ways to die: first gangrene, second TB or third blindness." Babies and young children are brought to the pans because the workers don't have a choice, some of the children as young as 10 do a full days work.   
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt worker, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt workers, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt production, Little Rann, Gujurat
Salt production, Little Rann, Gujurat
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