Suraj Subba

Fireflies in the Abyss

In the Jaintia Hills of Northeast India, boys and men descend into the abyss of the 'rat-holes' to scratch coal out of hard rock, with nothing more than a pickaxe and a head-torch. One of them is Suraj, an 11-year old boy. Born in the mines to Nepali immigrants, Suraj cherishes the hope of getting out of the coal-pit someday. With his mother no more, an unsupportive father and no place he can call home, the odds are stacked against him. And yet, he battles to eventually put himself in school. The film follows Suraj through his tumultuous journey, while revealing startling stories and lives under unusual - perhaps extraordinary - circumstances.