Akshay Gupta

Sharmila Joshi

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Every morning, people from various villages – most of
them from Adivasi and Dalit communities – come to Manikpur railway junction in
Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh. They come by shared jeeps and
auto-rickshaws, or by bicycles, from villages in a 100-kilometre radius.
Carrying hundreds of bundles of firewood – each weighing between 20 and
50 kilos – from the Patha forests on border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Selling these in nearby markets is a stable source of
income for the families. Though laws related to the preservation of trees debar
tree-cutting, the local communities who depend on selling firewood have little
or no productive land. Their only other regular source of income is daily wages
at construction sites in nearby towns.

They take the bundles of wood – mainly of the tendu
and palash
tree –by passenger trains from Manikpur, from  Karwi (around 30 kilometres from
Manikpur), or from Shankargarh, around 80 kilometres away, to
various towns along the train route to Allahabad. 

At the end of the day, they earn between Rs. 150-300,
depending on the dryness and quality of the firewood, and the season&#39;s demand for fuel.

No names
have been used in this story because the firewood-sellers didn’t want to be
named.

Travelling on the Firewood Express

ਬਾਲਣ ਵੇਚਣ ਵਾਲ਼ਿਆਂ ਲਈ ਰੁਜ਼ਗਾਰ ਦਾ ਜ਼ਰੀਆ ਬਣਦੀ ਰੇਲਗੱਡੀ

కట్టెల బండిలో ప్రయాణం

விரைவு ரயிலில் பயணிக்கு விறகு கட்டுகள்

جہاں لکڑیوں کے ایندھن سے چلتی ہے زندگی کی گاڑی

जहां लकड़ियों के ईंधन से चलती है ज़िंदगी की गाड़ी

জ্বালানি-কাঠ এক্সপ্রেসে যাত্রা

ଜାଳେଣୀକାଠ ଏକ୍ସପ୍ରେସରେ ଯାତ୍ରା

Manikpur

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Travelling on the Firewood Express

Left with few livelihood options, Adivasis and Dalits from villages on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh take the train to various towns to sell firewood and earn a few hundred rupees after a hard day

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