This one of my favorite photographs. i took this photo in the Indian Himalayas while on an expedition to climb Mount Trisul. While on its face, it appears as though the villagers are doing regular agricultural work, the underlying story is more intriguing. the villagers are in fact looking for a rare fungal growth called “keeda jadi," which is scattered among high grounds in the Garhwal Himalayas. the fungus commands a premium in the Chinese market because of its role as an aphrodisiac. 

the fungus is smuggled across the India-Tibetan border into China. I was told that it all began in 2005. Since then, entire villages abandon everything during the harvest months and climb high into the mountains to look for “keeda jadi.” The price it commands allows the villagers to live for almost half a year off a month's work in the himalayas. It is fascinating how the effects of a more affluent china can be seen in a remote corner of the Himalayas.