Dipak’s work takes us inside the den of factory workers where they toil day and night, covered in soot and smoke. This photographic expedition captures their daily hardships where there is no visible fear, no anger, no irritation in their demeanor. They are undeterred by “the location, the structure, the environment”, and only the relentless pursuit of livelihood defines their existence. “I was very surprised”, Dipak remarks.
In the pictures, we see men slogging day after day, almost in secrecy, hidden in the depths of a factory in a remote village in the Sundarbans, West Bengal. It operates with restrictions for outsiders, amid conditions most would avoid. The faces of the workers flare up in the flames and the air is thick with smoke. The sharp scent of iron and dust lingers in every breath. They carry themselves with a surprising sense of contentment that seems at odds with “the extremely dangerous” circumstances that surround them.
“Anything can happen in a fraction of a second with constant exposure to fire.” Yet their battle against adversity is not loud or desperate. It is a quiet struggle, marked by silent tenacity. With each passing day, they trample hardship, revealing a spirit that refuses to be broken. What stands out most is not the “difficult and risky” work but the dignity with which these men face it. The cinematic portrayal of their daily lives magnifies this relentlessness. It captures the fragile beauty of perseverance amidst suffering. It was these words of a woman that stayed with Dipak and inspired him: “What you do, or what your job is, doesn’t matter; what really matters is how you enjoy it.” Those words, spoken simply yet profoundly, summarise the essence of what he had witnessed. That spirit, their ability to endure with grace, remains the heart of this story.
