Himalayan Road Workers

Self Initiated

Migrant workers form the backbone of road construction within the Indian Himalaya. Coming from Bihar, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Nepal, men and women work long hours in a dangerous and fragile mountain environment to make a living for them and their families. This photo essay documents the working lives of the workers as they build and resurface the NH5 road that skirts the border between India and China. The road, and its continued maintance, is vital to local trade, hydroelectric developments and supplying the numerous military establishments that populate this fractious border.