Stone carving

In a neighborhood where the leaves on the trees are bright white and a shower of fine dust from noisy power tools sprays into the air, the stone cutters of Mandalay, Myanmar, sit side by side sculpting buddhas and other religious objects. The layer of fine white particles that settles on their skin, hair, eye lashes and nostrils, enhances the blood-red color of their irritated eyes testifying to the ardent working conditions that these men and often very young boys endure. Women, working in small groups, clean and polish the statues.