Dodra, Himachal Pradesh, India, 17 December 2016, 1205 hours:

As we were strolling around Dodra village, I saw that people had collected fodder for their cattle by cutting down each and every small branch with leaves off an entire tree – the tree is called “Paabun” in these areas. And to do this, they climbed these tall trees soaring to heights of almost 40 feet from the ground. 

I was amazed at the courage of the people living here, who went through such risky activities to gather food for their cattle for the coming winters. It just comes to show how hard it really is to live at places like this, secluded from the rest of the world.

“Paabun” trees around the village; Photo: Abhinav Kaushal

Few of the “Paabun” trees stripped bare; Photo: Abhinav Kaushal

Freshly cut leaves for fodder; Photo: Abhinav Kaushal