‘Like Kashmir’: How a toxic marble dump yard became a tourist spot in India

Kishangarh, India – As Bagharam Gurjar kneels to pull weeds from his maize field in western India’s Rajasthan state, the sound of his wife coughing nearby makes him restless. “Everything gets ruined when dust settles on the soil,” says Gurjar, 53, barely looking up. “May God make everything right,” replies his wife between bouts of chronic cough. “Otherwise, it becomes difficult to grow crops.” The Gurjars are among nearly 5,000 people living in the vicinity of what has turned out to be one of the most unusual tourist destinations in India.