Ecology
Age-old grinder in Himachal Pradesh goes out of style
Waterwheels or 'gharats' have ground wheat since the 7th century, but are now dying a slow death. Our pictures capture this environmentally friendly technology, and those who still persist with it.
Traditional water mills or gharats as they are called in the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh were once found in nearly every village. Today these mechanisms that use running water to grind wheat, rice and maize and also occassionally to extract oil, have been replaced by electricity run mills. That they are environmentally friendly and green, has been forgotten.
View more pictures of gharats.