Desert school in India's lonesome salt desert!
- 5 years ago
In the wastelands of India, is 'zero land', known as such because no survey has been carried out there in over sixty years since the British left India. This is the Rann of Kutch. Deep in the Rann is a tiny school, which is proof of unbelievable human resilience. Literally in the middle of nowhere, this school is changing the lives of many children like Chetan.
Chetan is an Agariya, the salt worker tribe of Gujarat. Agariyas - the salt farmers of India have the extremely difficult job of collecting salt in the most difficult conditions. After the monsoon they live in total isolation in the desert, surviving severe cold and heat for 8 months. During this period, they toil for hours to extract salt under extreme climatic conditions. This is what they have been doing for the past 600 years, as this is all they ever learnt for survival. The monsoon destroys their houses of 8 months and forces them to leave the desert. They are compelled to come back after the rains and rebuild everything again each year.
Eleven years old Chetan works in intense temperatures like all the Agariyas. He goes to school in the morning and works in the saltpans by evening to help his father. He manages both his school and work life with a smile and no complaints. His school is even more unusual than his work. Nothing but one tiny hut for miles, with saltpans in the backdrop as thin white horizontal lines; this school stands alone. The outside barren land wouldn't show the liveliness of the school at first sight. Giggles fill the silence of the desert as you go closer. It is the inside that is a total contrast to Chetan's life. The room is colourful and decorated with artwork by the chidren.
Unlike his tough life in the saltpan Chetan spends some relaxed time here with his schoolmates. Besides studying, he plays, sings, dances and spends time with friends here. This lonesome desert school spells hope for most Agariya kids like Chetan. Their parents had no choice but to be salt farmers, but now, these children have hope for their future. Chetan and the other Agariya children can decline the less paying tough work of a salt farmer and explore the options they have outside these harsh saltpans. While the saltpan sees Chetan work for hours in the sun, his school is the much-needed shade he deserves in life!!
This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com.
Chetan is an Agariya, the salt worker tribe of Gujarat. Agariyas - the salt farmers of India have the extremely difficult job of collecting salt in the most difficult conditions. After the monsoon they live in total isolation in the desert, surviving severe cold and heat for 8 months. During this period, they toil for hours to extract salt under extreme climatic conditions. This is what they have been doing for the past 600 years, as this is all they ever learnt for survival. The monsoon destroys their houses of 8 months and forces them to leave the desert. They are compelled to come back after the rains and rebuild everything again each year.
Eleven years old Chetan works in intense temperatures like all the Agariyas. He goes to school in the morning and works in the saltpans by evening to help his father. He manages both his school and work life with a smile and no complaints. His school is even more unusual than his work. Nothing but one tiny hut for miles, with saltpans in the backdrop as thin white horizontal lines; this school stands alone. The outside barren land wouldn't show the liveliness of the school at first sight. Giggles fill the silence of the desert as you go closer. It is the inside that is a total contrast to Chetan's life. The room is colourful and decorated with artwork by the chidren.
Unlike his tough life in the saltpan Chetan spends some relaxed time here with his schoolmates. Besides studying, he plays, sings, dances and spends time with friends here. This lonesome desert school spells hope for most Agariya kids like Chetan. Their parents had no choice but to be salt farmers, but now, these children have hope for their future. Chetan and the other Agariya children can decline the less paying tough work of a salt farmer and explore the options they have outside these harsh saltpans. While the saltpan sees Chetan work for hours in the sun, his school is the much-needed shade he deserves in life!!
This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com.