By Melanie Hook (Communications Resources Manager)
15 Mar 2011

18 Jan, the ‘Radha Rani’ kiln

We visit the Radha Rani Kiln in Uttar Pradesh (UP) where the Brooke team have only been working since the beginning of January. It’s officially five days since ‘Spring’ began in UP but the mornings still launch with a freezing mist, and we join the equine owners crowding around a fire of sugar cane leaves burning as fast as they are stacked on. We grab some much-needed heat and warm up our hands rigid with cold before the day begins. We are filming some of the workers, and speak to the Brooke manager, Tanu Agarwal, about the challenges facing the Brooke in this kiln.

Uneven terrain is a major problem at Radha Rani kiln, and even as we stand talking to Tanu, we see buggiewalas (cart drivers) throwing off broken bits of brick from their cart as they ride between the kiln site and the brick moulding area. These bricks are not counted in their daily quota by the clerk, or ‘munshi’, hence the disposal. The Brooke’s relationship with the kiln manager has led to a water pump being installed near the living quarters, and the Brooke is working towards each animal having an individual bucket rather than using a trough, as this avoids spreading equine influenza.

20 Jan, the ‘BK Tayal’ kiln

We visit the BK Tayal kiln, another of the new kilns the Brooke is working in and talked to Brooke Vet, Dr Sanjay Sharma, who has visited the kiln with us. Dr Sharma states that uneven terrain and colic are the main problems at this kiln. Dr Sharma discusses how owners often double the feeding quantity to their animal in the misplaced belief it will quickly build bulk and capacity; more often, it blocks the animal’s digestion, causing colic.

“We deal with up to a hundred cases of colic during the brick kiln season. It takes time to convince the owners not feed their horses and mules for 24 hours after an attack of colic. We are also suggesting an increase in oil or fat content in the food, to encourage longer-lasting nutritional quality and resulting energy levels” says Dr Sharma.

We also talk to a father and daughter team, 62-year-old Noor and his 18-year-old daughter Nasheema, with their horses Basanti and Raju. Nasheema is working alongside her father at the kilns to help to pay off a dowry loan her father took out for her older sister. Nasheema hopes to save up for her own dowry once this loan is repaid, and considering half of Nasheema’s daily wage goes towards feeding her horse, it’s a very tight margin.

While we are there, Dr Sharma diagnoses swelling in the front leg of Nasheema’s horse, Raju. There was a small wound on Raju’s leg and Dr Sharma cleaned the wound with antiseptic and bandaged it, gave Raju a tetanus injection and recommended two days of rest.

“Even a five minute rest is like a luxury,” said Nasheema. “We have to make the most during these hours. It’s a miserable life for me and my father. Our horses are the only support; if anything happens to them, we will be ruined”.

Read about Nasheema, Raju and others supporting awareness of International Women’s Day.

The distance between the brick moulding site and the kiln is 1km, adding to the pressure of work along with the rough terrain. In most kilns, the distance between sites is only 3 – 400 metres.

Nasheema’s father, Noor, is planning to join the new equine welfare group and this will help improve the health and condition of the horses.

At the end of the visit, the BK Tayal kiln owner invites us to talk in his house, giving us a useful opportunity to find out more from the other side of the wall, so to speak. We ask how he provides protection and insurance for those owners who suddenly lose an animal and the kiln owner says he does provide help to owners he has employed before or once he has built some kind of trustworthy relationship so he can be sure of repayment.

The Brooke has been in this kiln for just two weeks and already they’ve started working to improve animal welfare. We left full of hope, anticipating the next successes.