Crane

Kids of just a few weeks old explore the area treading along a fallen tree (Photos by Joanna Dhanraj)

The village of Crane is believed to have been in existence since the late 1800s or early 1900s and is home to more than 3,000 people. Crane is situated approximately a mile away from the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station, a ten-minute drive.

Crane is divided into three sections: the housing scheme, the new scheme and the squatting area.

When I arrived, the village appeared to be asleep except for the cranes, king fisher, pigeons, hawks and doves scouting the rice fields and nearby drains. But soon, the place began to stir; people looked out to see the stranger intruding their village, men cycled by with groceries, a truck driver skillfully fetched a bag of rice on his shoulder into a nearby shop and through one of the streets, men hurriedly scooped paddy that had been left to dry along the road into bags.