ANT-LIKE THEY TOILED: The sea of humanity utilized to build this “modern temple”, was a scene that touched both Nehru and Galbraith As the construction rose to a certain height, the massive structure resembled an anthill with thousands of labourers carrying construction material on the complex maze of scaffoldings. A breathtaking view even to Jawaharlal Nehru and Kenneth Galbraith, then U.S. Ambassador to India, who during a visit to the site around that time, were touched by the sight and their eyes became moist. In all, 162 persons died during construction, including eight engineers. Makeshift towns cropped up all around the dam. Workers in these colonies never seemed to sleep for 15 years as the work continued day and night.  

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