Beasts of Burden

A Rickshaw Worker in India

Ampersand Productions

India's cities are thronged with faceless rickshaw workers. This film puts a human face on those at the low end of the caste system whose only chance to eke out a bare subsistence for their families is to do the work done by beasts of burden in more affluent societies.

The film follows Jadav as he leaves his drought-ridden village without luggage or money. Arriving in Calcutta, he finds people living in the train station and the streets. Although he feels humiliated to apply for the job as rickshaw puller, he sees no alternative. He meets men who have been pulling enormous loads for twenty years, who have developed lung problems and impaired vision. Other men sell their blood, often tainted, in order to feed their families. People even buy and sell the cadavers of those who died in the streets because there is a market for human bones. Despite the misery he encounters, Jadav dreams that life will be better for his children, and that, hopefully, his next life will be better!

52 min. Video or DVD. Sale $195. Video rental $75.