A child works as an illegal coal picker in Jharia coal mine. Illegal coal pickers from Bokahapadi village successfully negotiate a daylight raid and hurry home to safely burn the hard coal for sale. When times are good the entire family regardless of age are asked to help. Jharia is one of the most important coal mines in India and one of the largest in Asia. Before coal was unearthed in this area, Jharia was a belt of dense forests inhabited by tribes. Thousands of poor, mostly unskilled, migrants from neighboring states have settled in Jharia over the years.