Underground coal mining

For the people of Jharia, the underground inferno is a horror they live with. And on quite unexpected moments, their town’s surface may give in to land subsidence – a phenomenon of sudden sinking of land. Meaning, the undying fire is not a myth; it can and has surfaced anytime, anywhere in the town of Jharia.

1916 marked the very first land subsidence in the locality. So the calamity has been terrorising these lives for over a century now, and has accounted for numerous deaths and property damage for the residents. Yet, respite is unsure.

The artist portrays this uncertainty of life in Jharia, where one cannot be sure of the earth beneath his or her stance.