Obese man carried up 10,000 steps on a stretcher in India sparks online debate

In India's Girnar mountains, the service of carrying tourists to the summit by hand is widespread. Some wealthy visitors, arriving for pilgrimage or tourism, pay locals to carry them up steep stairs on special stretchers instead of walking.

The path to the summit consists of over 10,000 stone steps. The ascent takes several hours. Due to the steepness and length of the path, this journey is not easy even for physically fit people.

Local workers seat tourists on stretchers and carry them up using manual labor. They traverse thousands of steps with heavy loads. Many families make a living through this very service.

After the video and photos spread online, users evaluated this labor in different ways. Some criticized the fact that locals work in very difficult conditions for the comfort of tourists. Others called this situation a clear example of the gap between the wealthy and the underprivileged.

Discussions raised questions about the value of physical labor, the health of the workers, and how income from tourism is distributed. Although this service on Girnar mountain is a means of livelihood for locals, performing it requires great physical strength every day.