Mapping their Journey

The social scientist has been documenting Casual Paid Labour (CPL), who migrate from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to build roads in the border areas of the Himalayas. “Migration is not just a movement of people but also of ideas. I wanted to see how it affects these labourers and figure out what defence and development means to the really poor,” says Sabhlok.

Her findings are framed in the form of photographs at Alliance Française in the exhibition “The Road Chronicles: An Ode to the Labourer”. Comprising works of Sabhlok and photographer Kausiki Sarma, the display is designed by Jitesh Malik in a three tier format. A big canvas print provides a background, and accompanying smaller photographs introduce the subject and his journey. So one set has a nondescript hut in the village of Dumka in Jharkhand; the medium-sized photographs have an anonymous labourer standing in the courtyard, contemplating over the decision he took, with his wife and child in the background. Another set has a group of workers in flimsy clothes and worn out shoes; with smaller photographs providing a glimpse into their lives inside thin plastic tents that they call home.

“Something like an association or a union needs to be created to help address the needs of the labourers,” says Sarma, whose earlier works documented how armed conflicts impact women in the northeast.

The exhibition is on till October 15 at Alliance Française, Delhi. Contact: 011-43500217