Once cut, the leaves are taken to these fermenting wells. Here the leaves are tightly packed in the first, and deepest of the three wells, and left to steep in water. Within a couple of hours bubbles start to form and the clear water changes to a light green as the dye is extracted from the plant.

Munir Ahmed, picks up an indigo plant that has already been cut for cultivation.

Indigo plantation is blessed with a long growing season that enables the farmers to get three cuttings of the crop in one year. Here the plant has already been cut and lying in a field in the village of Haji Keerio.

A device that is used to thrash the plant during harvesting.

The leaves of the plant before it is fermented to produce the dye.

What the inidigo seed initially looks like.

The dye produced from fermentation.

Bottles with samples of the different stages of indigo cultivation are lined up at Goth Sudhar Sangat's office in Haji Keerio.

Indigo powder, which is used in henna and local medicines.