#India Children in Jharia’s coal mines | Childhoods lost to smoke, fire and an endless struggle for survival
They breathe hot air from smouldering underground fires. They carry sacks instead of books, drink filthy water, and wade barefoot through black mud. And instead of the bell that signals the start of school, they hear the sound of pickaxes. This is what childhood looks like in Jharia, the infamous ‘burning city'.
Photograph: Sourav Das
