The Hidden Heroes - The Salt Workers In Gujarat

• Prize
  Silver in People/Culture
• Photographer
  Joachim Bergauer
• Agency / Studio
  Joachim Bergauer Photography

The hidden heroes There are more than 100,000 Indian salt workers in Gujarat - the "Agariya". The Agariya, as the salt workers are called, work under the most extreme conditions to finance their lives with salt, the "white gold". There is no protection. The workers are predominantly "Dalits", Casteless, untouchables and indigenous people. So the lowest layer of the population. They are the reason why India produces about 16 million tons of salt a year, thus strengthening India economically. Everyday work is characterized by heat and hard physical exertion.