"Himank" The Road builders of Ladakh, a photo from Jammu and Kashmir, North

Photographer's Note

Another picture of the Road Builders of Ladakh.

Whereas the earlier one “Roadbuilders of Keylong” was still in alpine terrain here we are in the “cold desert” at an altitude of 5000 mtrs plus!

The oxygen starvation is so acute that to wheel a single wheel barrow 4 men are required ! Ofcourse the tray filled with bitumen being balanced on top of the weel barrow is heavy but essentially they are wheeling it downhill and still the effort is killing.

The equipment is better….snow boots and gloves!

Towards the evening the temperatures fall so low that the skin of the hand can stick to the cold iron handles of the wheelbarrow …hence the gloves.
During the day the gloves stave off the heat generated from that tray full of molten tar!

The daily lives of a "few good men".

Probably my last post till the end of October…..

I have a rally to organize and this is a tribute to the “Roadbuilders of Ladakh” who make my dream of running Indias most grueling rally - The "Raid de Himalaya" a reality…..for 6 years in a row now!

hispic, burdallet, Aegean, spence, eleparc, sn00zie, avis2avis, everlasting, rahul__rahul__ oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

burdallet (0) 2004-08-29 2:54

Good picture I can evaluate easily how the work at the place is very tough

Aegean (2571) 2004-08-29 3:07

Nice composition and the muted colors add to the whole atmosphere and feeling...Very well done!

spence (65) 2004-08-29 4:52

I love these photos of the Road Builders - what an unbelievably tough job they have. I really like the muted colours of this shot and I also like the centered position of the men and the way they're viewed from the back. A strong and powerful documentary shot.

Arvind (309) 2004-08-29 4:59 [Comment]

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softflower (0) 2004-08-29 5:22

Jolie photo Vijay, j'aime beaucoup ce aspect de la photo oů l'on voit ces travailleurs de dos.
Bravo !

I hope that you will like my WS.

paguru (1056) 2004-08-29 8:48

Great composition - the format you've chosen works very well for this picture. I also like the colors here - the faded browns of the mountains, and the almost b/w of the workers' clothes. Very good shot!

eleparc (24063) 2004-08-29 9:26

Hi vijay, i was sad not to be able to meet you in delhi last week, but i must say i loved every moment of my trip to ladakh... and india... this photo is a nice tribute to those men who do wonders ( with their limits, of course) for the roads of ladakh... incredibly hard working conditions and climate... very nice shot, good compo and tones of colors... bravo!

sn00zie (2384) 2004-08-30 9:25

another great composition..i'm sort of confused when it comes to write something about it-actually don't know how to put it.. the road, the people working, the mountains.. youknow what i mean.. btw, where have you been Mountainman.. you've posted after quite sometime

Ebbe (9625) 2004-08-30 13:06

A fantastic colorscale in this. Their poses also speaks for themselves about how heavy this is. And te surrounding is dramatic. A great job Vijay. I add it to my little theme.

avis2avis (4264) 2004-08-31 3:01

An excellent shot and a fine tribute to these hardworking men.

Wish you success for the Raid Vijay. All the best!

everlasting (20002) 2004-08-31 9:19

Makes me feel tired just to look at this. 5000 meters must be incredibly strong to work at this altitude.
I especially like how the colours blend. A fititng tribute to these men.

misha81 (332) 2004-11-06 9:51