On the Bed of the River

On the northern border of Bangladesh, the Goyain River meanders slowly through the town of Jaflong. For 4-5 months of the year, when the water levels are low, the riverbed is turned into a giant mining site. Small and large-scale efforts to extract the good quality stone of this region get underway.

Thousands of men, women and children work in the quarries, most of whom travel hundreds of miles to seek work away from home during the slow farming period. The daily wage is twice as much as they receive from farming, but the work is twice as hard andthe hours are much longer. Workers have little time to themselves, and quickly get into an exhausting routine of work, eat, work, sleep. The work is dangerous and physically arduous, and every few days someone dies from falling rock or mud.

However, there are select moments during the day when they are able steal time to themselves. They sleep or relax inside the distinct but often elegant architecture of their temporary tented homes, or even just pause in the middle of a 12 hour shift to light a cigarette, have a cup of tea, or reflect on the environment around them – an area slowly being destroyed by the mining activity.

This series examines these peaceful, intimate, universally human moments – it is a glimpse of the other side to their working life, outside of the giant quarries.