5000+ Brick Kiln Workers Are Bricked By Helplessness, Join Shyam Sundar To Support Them

Every year, as March arrives and most of us eagerly await the arrival of spring, a different type of fire is ignited in the heart of the Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. This fire does not represent warmth or festivity; it marks the beginning of an intensive, dangerous, and physically demanding four-month season at the brick kilns.

Over 5000 workers, many of them migrants from Bihar, Bengal, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, gather here to do the unthinkable: work 8 to 12-hour hours in 55 to 60-degree heat, with bare hands, no protective gear, and little to no shelter.

They form raw mud into bricks, dry them in the hot sun, then feed them into fire kilns that burn day and night. Families, including children from the age of 3 to women till the age of 60 and above, carry out the hard, hazardous work. 

"When I see their pain, I see my own people," says Shri Shyam Sundar. “Years ago, I stood in the same scorching heat, amid the same brick kilns, where thousands of people continue to live and work in horrible conditions. My journey began not as an activist or social worker, but as a witness to the silent misery of migrant workers, including my own family members, who worked continuously for peanuts.”

He says, “I want people to understand the life of these labourers. They survive on the interest from the loans they borrow, which I want to put an end to. I want to take this work to the next level and get more people to support the cause. My priority is to receive help with groceries, medical care (particularly for women), education, and stationery for children.” 

Despite the difficulties, these families keep going, out of necessity rather than choice. With insufficient earnings of ₹200-₹250 per day, they survive hand-to-mouth, leaving little to take back to their family after the kiln season. They return home with debt, only to borrow more and repeat the cycle.

Among the many heart-wrenching stories at the brick kilns, one that stays with us is that of an old woman, Vidhya Devi, who has spent most of her life working amidst fire and dust. She has three children, two of whom are educated and have moved on. She hoped they would care for her in her old age, but they have only distanced themselves.

Left with no financial support, she is back to the kiln every season with her youngest son, holding on to hope for survival. Her frail body bears the weight of both age and labour. One of her hands is broken from an accident at the site, but that hasn’t stopped her from cooking, working, and caring for her son, who is injured too. 

Like her, many others here have tried to leave this work behind. But minimal wages in other jobs, combined with rising costs and mounting debt, pull them right back into the kiln. This isn’t just labour—it’s a cycle of hardship they can’t seem to escape.

Your contribution can help provide:

Ensure that no child goes to bed hungry by providing groceries and vegetables.

Medical kits and health screenings for women and children.

School supplies and learning tools to give children a new beginning.

Freedom from debt and a step toward financial independence.

Shyam Ji’s vision is to break this cycle of poverty, one family at a time. But he can’t do it alone. Support them now and be the hope in their brutal reality.