Dhaneswar Paswan, 70, is from Bihar and working as a loader of goods in Burrabazzar, Kolkata, India for over five decades

Prakash Ram, 35, a labour in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India, migrated from the eastern state of Bihar.

Barun Bhattacharya, General Secretary, of a leftist labour union in the party office in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India. According to him, the labours are getting relatively less work at present resulting in less pay, which in turn, is causing a “labour crisis”. However, if there is at all a “crisis”, it’s not apparent as the in migration to the market shows no sign of slowing. Also, unemployed labours are hard to find

Kamlesh Jadav, 46, is a migrant labour from the eastern state of Bihar, India. Considered one of the most under developed states in the country, Bihar witnesses mass seasonal migration of its workforce to Calcutta, among other big cities. Jadav is working in Burrabazzar since more than 30 years and has plied his van all over the West Bengal state to supply goods consisting of food items, furniture, utensils, spices, oil etc.

Deepak Kumar, 25, a labourer in Burrabazzar, Calcutta India, gets ready for work. He has migrated from Bihar.

Dukharam Ram, 63, is a migrant labourer in Burrabazzar in Calcutta, India, and is from the eastern state Bihar. His retirement is overdue by a few years and he says, it’s “[financial] helplessness that forces me to work even at this age”. The intense physical labour that involves carrying and loading sacs of 50kgs earns him about Rupees 200- 400 a day

Krishna Pratap Singh, the Chairman of several transport owners’ association, sits in his office in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India. According to him, “a peculiar traffic congestion” in and around Burrabazzar is a threat to the efficient movement of goods forcing traders to set up storage facilities off the city where traffic is fast. As a result, Burrabazzar has lost some of its businesses.

Choiton Das, 60, is a loader of oil drums in an oil storage facility in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India. Das has migrated from the eastern state of Orissa. His work day starts at 8 a.m. and stretches over a span of 9 hours – typical work hours in the market. He gets paid for over time.

Bijay Shaw, 32, is a loader of goods in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India, and is a seasonal migrant labour from the eastern state Bihar. Shaw is working in Burrabazzar since last 15 years to support his wife and kids, and aged parents who live in a village. He visits home thrice a year during the farming seasons to work as a contractual farm hand.

Parasnath Jadav, 52, is a migrant from Bihar and now owns a food place where the labouers come to eat in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India. Meals are available from 6a.m. to 6 p.m. as work goes on throughout the day. Since, such food joints are not legal constructions, Jadav and the likes of him have to shell out thousands of rupees every month to bribe the police to be able to continue the business.

Balmiki Rai, 60, is a labour in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India, migrated from Bihar. In spite of the steady work flow in the market, limited access to the toilet remains to be an issue he has difficulty dealing with. Every morning he has to stand in a queue outside the public toilet near the railway tracks and wait for his turn. In spite of being the most important storage and distribution point in eastern India, Burrabazzar has a poor infrastructure

Raju Singh, 37, is from Bihar working as a van driver in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India

Nande Jadav, a labour stands at the premises of England Godown, a big storage facility in Burrabazzar area, Calcutta, India. According to him, when he falls sick, he has to go home to recover on unpaid leaves, as the health care for the migrant labourer is inadequate. The employees don’t pay for medical expenses for contractual labourers like him. For the “permanent” workers, the medical expenses are borne by the employee.

Naresh Jadav, 45, a migrant labour from Bihar stands in front of the goods storage he works at in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India. The facility works as a night shelter where he cooks and sleeps along with other labourers.

Bilas Mandal, 50, is a migrant labour from the eastern state of Jharkhand working as a loader of goods in Burrabazzar in Calcutta, India, since last 50 years. According to Mandal, one of the advantages of working in Burrabazzar is, availability of meals they can afford [minimum price per meal being Rupees 20]. He has two square meals a day of rice, chapattis, lentils and vegetables, with frequent intakes of fish and eggs. He can afford meat once a week. Back home, he struggles to find enough wor

Bhim Ram, 35, is a loader of goods in Burrabazzar, Calcutta, India, migrated from Bihar. Even though, he is working for over a decade, he worries about the uncertainty of his job. To the police, “I am still an outsider”, says Ram, a man with little education, who seems to be unaware that it’s legal for the migrated labours to work. “I may lose my work for that”