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Labour / A photo story

Work that holds the day together.

The hands and routines behind the food, markets and livelihoods of South India.

A worker packs flour bags at a wholesale market in Hyderabad. 30 January 2025.© Jwala Kotesh

Behind the photographs

The story
in the frame.

A worker packs flour in a wholesale market, vendors unload produce at Bowenpally and a farmer harvests cotton near Nellore. These images document labour that is easy to pass by and essential to everyday life.

Across the selection, Kotesh follows the physical routines of work: lifting, packing and harvesting. The photographs connect city markets with the agricultural communities beyond them.

Photographs and field captions by Jwala Kotesh. Story introduction adapted from the portfolio.

The photographic sequence

Click a frame to view in full
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Vendors unload vegetables at Bowenpally market yard in Hyderabad. 6 January 2025.© Jwala Kotesh
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A farmer harvests cotton at a farm near Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. 29 January 2024.© Jwala Kotesh