Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Award winning film spotlights plight of India's textile workers

It was a childhood memory of time spent at his grandfather's textile mill in Gujarat that inspired Indian film student Rahul Jain to focus on the rhythm of factory life for his first documentary.

Although Jain did not set out to make a political film, his award-winning feature "Machines" is attracting international attention for its depiction of the squalor and human suffering underpinning the global garment industry.


This month the documentary opened the Copenhagen Fashion Summit where heads of leading clothing brands, charities and policy makers met to discuss ethical and sustainable fashion.

"Machines" shows men and children working slave-like shifts for paltry wages in conditions where they are exposed to damaging levels of noise and intense heat.

"The workers were poor, sick and they coughed a lot. Many had a hearing problem," said Jain, a student at the prestigious California Institute of the Arts.

The machine noise the workers are exposed to is like a soundtrack running throughout the film.

"Workers use headphones and play loud music to lock out the sound (of the machines), but that actually causes more damage," Jain told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Los Angeles.

"Their lungs are damaged as they breathe fine silica dust, also very fine carbon particles."

The 25-year-old director, who grew up in Delhi, spent nearly six months spread over three years filming inside a factory in the city of Surat, the capital of India's textile industry, in the western state of Gujarat.

Workers told how they earned less than £2.31 for shifts of 12 hours or more.

"When I arrive at the gate for work, I feel like turning back right there," says one child who puts in 12 hours every day.

But the boy says he won't leave because he believes he is more likely to learn skills as a child than he would as an adult.

The film ends with workers asking Jain to take up their demand for eight-hour shifts.

Jain said that while "Machines" was never intended as a piece of activism, he hoped the government would take action to help the textile workers.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers toil in Surat's numerous weaving, dying and printing factories.

Fabrics manufactured in the city are exported around the world, ending up in everything from high street fashions to school uniforms.

"Machines" was filmed in a factory employing 1,500 workers, including children. The camera follows them as they go about their tasks. Some are seen napping on piles of fabric.

Workers interviewed in the film appeared wary of speaking about their lives. One told how he had travelled 990 miles to work at the factory, but said he was not exploited and did the work out of choice.

Jain said the factory jobs took a heavy physical toll with illnesses common and workers mostly quitting by the time they are 50.

He said a doctor made twice-weekly visits to the factory to give medicines including multi-vitamins and vitamin D shots to the workers.

"Machines", which won an award for its cinematography at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is already on release in Britain and will premiere in India later this year.

Jain said screenings were being planned in the country's most densely-populated factory towns.

"I hope deep down that (the film) is used to show the government what it does not wish to see," he added.

More For You

Uganda-high-commission-event

The event also focused on Uganda’s role in cultural diplomacy and sustainable development.

Uganda high commission hosts heritage event in London

THE UGANDA high commission in London hosted an event highlighting Uganda’s cultural heritage and investment opportunities at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Building. The event featured a performance by the Watoto Children’s Choir.

Uganda’s high commissioner to the UK, Nimisha J Madhvani, addressed the gathering, welcoming guests and speaking about the country’s cultural diversity.

Keep ReadingShow less
Maha-kumbh-pilgrims-reuters

Devotees arrive at the river bank to take a holy dip at Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India on January 28, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

India says 420 million pilgrims have visited Maha Kumbh

INDIA’s government announced on Friday that more than 420 million pilgrims have taken part in ritual bathing at the Maha Kumbh, a Hindu religious festival.

Organisers say the estimate is based on artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras used to track attendance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bird-flu-Getty

There have been 27 confirmed cases of bird flu in England and one in Scotland during the current outbreak. (Representational image: Getty Images)

England bans 'bird gatherings' to contain avian flu spread

THE GOVERNMENT has announced a ban on "bird gatherings" in England as part of efforts to contain the spread of avian influenza.

The ban, which comes into effect from midday on Monday, will apply to fairs, markets, and shows involving various bird species.

Keep ReadingShow less
Matt-Jukes-Getty

Matt Jukes, the UK’s head of counterterrorism, has called for a social media ban for children under 16. (Photo: Getty Images)

Nine-year-old among youngest referred for far-right deradicalisation

A UK charity working to counter far-right radicalisation has seen children as young as nine referred for support.

Exit Hate UK, which helps individuals leave extremist movements, said its youngest-ever referral was nine years old, with the average age of those seeking help being about 15, according to The Times.

Keep ReadingShow less
Streeting hails India’s global role as Labour backs bilateral relations

Wes Streeting addresses the Republic Day reception at the Guildhall in London last Tuesday (28),joined by Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Vikram Doraiswami

Streeting hails India’s global role as Labour backs bilateral relations

WES STREETING spoke of the priority prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour government attach to relations with India when he addressed a Republic Day reception at the Guildhall in London last Tuesday (28).

But the secretary of state for health and social care won over the large Indian crowd by paying an unexpected tribute to Rishi Sunak.

Keep ReadingShow less