From the archive record
The footage, recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic period, shows adult and underage workers engaged in manual work at a large brick-making site in West Bengal, India. Extensive rows and stacks of rectangular bricks cover the open ground, while workers move along narrow pathways and carry loads of bricks on their heads. A mechanical excavator operates on a raised mound of earth in the background, with other workers handling bricks and materials around the site. The footage also shows workers gathering around a metal water tap beside a paved roadside, drinking directly from the flowing water and collecting water with their hands. Palm trees, other vegetation, roadside railings, and buildings are visible around the water point.