Hauzel Brick Field

Hauzel Brick Field is out in Thangtek Meitram Makha Leikai in Imphal West. It is a beautiful part of the world, though we are usually too busy with the dirt and the bricks to notice it much. Our work is simple but physically demanding. We spend our time at the field, molding the clay and letting it set under the sun. It's a quiet area for the most part, away from the main rush of the city. In the Meitram area, people know each other, and we are just another part of the local landscape. We don't have a big marketing plan or anything like that. We just make bricks and wait for people to come and buy them for their construction projects. The seasons really dictate how much we can get done. When the rains come to Manipur, things slow down quite a bit at the brick field. We just use that time to fix our tools and prepare for the next dry spell. It is a very hands-on kind of life. There is no polish here, just honest labor and the goal of making a decent product for the neighbors. We’ve been part of this community for a while, and we plan to stay that way. The work starts early when the air is still cool, and we keep going until the light fades over the hills. It is just how things are done here in our field.