Living by the sun, losing to the rain: life in Marakkanam’s salt pans in T.N.

As Tamil Nadu swelters through one of its harshest summers in recent years, many look to the sky hoping for relief in the form of an afternoon shower. But in the salt pans of Marakkanam, rain is the one thing workers cannot afford to wish for. Every spell of rainfall stalls salt production for days and costs them wages.