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Illustrations: Jayant Sunil

Reportage
18 August 2026

HOOKED

Inside Mumbai’s local trains, workers bring with them a small metal hook which they hang to the metal handles. The small tool carries the weight of thousands of migrant lives, giving them relief, albeit briefly.

Jayant Sunil

Pic credit: Sajid Ali

Reportage
13 August 2026

Working in the shadow of danger

A labour shortage in Kashmir has created an opportunity for migrant workers to earn a living in the valley. They continue to come to Kashmir where they find work and better wages despite frequent militant attacks targeting them

Sajid Ali

Video
13 August 2026

‘I am scared to step out’

Attacks on Kashmiri artisans, hawkers and shawl sellers, who seasonally migrate to different Indian states to sell their wares now fear leaving the valley, and stare at an uncertain future with their livelihood impacted

Sharanveer Singh

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Pic credit: Gitali Phukon

Reportage
10 August 2026

Floods set to trigger fresh wave of migration from Assam’s districts

Ruined paddy fields and washed-away homes leave farming families with little option but to move to cities in search of livelihoods.

Maitreyee Boruah

Pic credit: Aishwarya Mohanty

Analysis
7 August 2026

Through the looking glass: Mapping the many futures of the Odisha-Kerala migration corridor

India aims to be a developed nation by 2047 – the 100th year of the country’s independence. What would the future of inter-state migration look like then? Researchers studying the busy Odisha-Kerala migration corridor note that its future rests on choices we need to make today to ensure that migration is safe, dignified and resilient.

Liby Johnson

Benoy Peter

Chandni Singh

Pic credit: Anuja

3 August 2026

How persistent nighttime heat is wearing down Delhi’s workers

Rising heat has dented customer footfalls and slashed daily earnings of Delhi’s street food vendors. And there is no respite from the heat at home either as elevated night-time temperatures persist despite July rains

Anuja

Reportage

Picture of Monish Upadhyay

Monish Upadhyay

Picture of Sara Abraham

Sara Abraham

Picture of Mahmodul Hassan

Mahmodul Hassan

Picture of Jasmeh Kaur

Jasmeh Kaur

Picture of Zainab S Qazi

Zainab S Qazi

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Sanskriti Talwar

Sanskriti Talwar

Picture of Swati Thapa

Swati Thapa

Picture of Seerat-un-Nisa

Seerat-un-Nisa

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Aadhya Angirish

Aadhya Angirish

Picture of Nimish Sawant

Nimish Sawant

Picture of Ayush Krishna Tripathi

Ayush Krishna Tripathi

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Following the heavy crowds at Udhna station, Western Railway later shared photographs showing well-managed queues and crowd control arrangements at the station (Credit : DRM - Mumbai Central, WR/ X)
Picture of Aadhya Angirish

Aadhya Angirish

Picture of Team TMS

Team TMS

Santabhai Bamaniya shows two different qualities of salt in his hands in the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Aishwarya Mohanty/The Migration Story
Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Arshdeep Arshi

Arshdeep Arshi

Many labourers have been forced to work in debt bondage at brick kilns in Gaya Ji district, Bihar, and paid less than the minimum wage. Jyoti Yadav/The Migration Story
Picture of Jyoti Yadav

Jyoti Yadav

Picture of Anumeha Yadav

Anumeha Yadav

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Suresh Kumar, a migrant who works at Flipkart’s warehouse near Manesar, Haryana, makes packaged macaroni because it consumes less cooking gas. Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
Picture of Sanskriti Talwar

Sanskriti Talwar

The Bharatiya Janata Party set up this makeshift office in Kamrup district’s Rani village ahead of the state assembly election on April 9. Maitreyee Boruah/The Migration Story
Picture of Maitreyee Boruah

Maitreyee Boruah

Commercial cultivation started more than 100 years ago in the tea plantations in the Peerumedu hills in Kerala’s Idduki district. Sai Veena S Kuttoth/The Migration Story
Picture of Sai Veena S Kuttoth

Sai Veena S Kuttoth

Picture of Maitreyee Boruah

Maitreyee Boruah

Picture of Gaurav Kumar

Gaurav Kumar

Thousands of workers queue up every morning, including on Sundays, outside the refinery gate at Panipat, March 2026. Anumeha Yadav/The Migration Story
Picture of Anumeha Yadav

Anumeha Yadav

Iranna Minajagi
Picture of Amoolya Rajappa

Amoolya Rajappa

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Joymala Bagchi

Joymala Bagchi

Picture of Irfan Amin Malik

Irfan Amin Malik

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Priyamvada Mangal

Priyamvada Mangal

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Samragnee Chakraborty

Samragnee Chakraborty

Picture of Anuj Behal

Anuj Behal

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Kavita Chandran

Kavita Chandran

Picture of Team TMS

Team TMS

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Mir Zuhaib Nissar

Mir Zuhaib Nissar

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Niyati Shah

Niyati Shah

Picture of Tauseef Ahmad

Tauseef Ahmad

Picture of Shobha Surin

Shobha Surin

Picture of Prasanth Shanmugasundaram

Prasanth Shanmugasundaram

Picture of Roli Srivastava

Roli Srivastava

Picture of Nidhi jamwal

Nidhi jamwal

Picture of Ravleen Kaur

Ravleen Kaur

Picture of Rosey Mukherjee

Rosey Mukherjee

Picture of Hepzi Anthony

Hepzi Anthony

Picture of Shaba Manzoor

Shaba Manzoor

Picture of Bansari Kamdar

Bansari Kamdar

Picture of Bansari Kamdar

Bansari Kamdar

Picture of Anuradha Nagaraj

Anuradha Nagaraj

Picture of Purusottam Thakur

Purusottam Thakur

Picture of Sanskriti Talwar

Sanskriti Talwar

Picture of Chapal Mehra

Chapal Mehra

Picture of Maitreyee Boruah

Maitreyee Boruah

Picture of Hepzi Anthony

Hepzi Anthony

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Umesh Kumar Ray

Umesh Kumar Ray

Picture of Sanskriti Talwar

Sanskriti Talwar

Picture of Sanskrita Bharadwaj

Sanskrita Bharadwaj

Picture of Maitreyee Boruah

Maitreyee Boruah

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Mahmodul Hassan

Mahmodul Hassan

Picture of Sapna Gopal

Sapna Gopal

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Khursheed Ahmad Shah

Khursheed Ahmad Shah

Picture of Anuj Behal

Anuj Behal

Picture of Laasya Shekhar

Laasya Shekhar

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Hepzi Anthony

Hepzi Anthony

Picture of Shekhar Paigude

Shekhar Paigude

Picture of Abhijeet Gurjar

Abhijeet Gurjar

Picture of Roli Srivastava

Roli Srivastava

Picture of Amoolya Rajappa

Amoolya Rajappa

Picture of Tauseef Ahmad

Tauseef Ahmad

Picture of Anuj Behal

Anuj Behal

Picture of Roli Srivastava

Roli Srivastava

Picture of Birendra Singh

Birendra Singh

Picture of Almaas Masood

Almaas Masood

Picture of Tauseef Ahmad

Tauseef Ahmad

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Maitreyee Boruah

Maitreyee Boruah

Picture of Zoya Hussain

Zoya Hussain

Picture of Manthati Sai Kiran

Manthati Sai Kiran

Picture of Anuj Behal

Anuj Behal

Picture of Mahima Jain

Mahima Jain

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Milou Dirkx

Milou Dirkx

Picture of Amoolya Rajappa

Amoolya Rajappa

Picture of Hepzi Anthony

Hepzi Anthony

Picture of Aarefa Johari

Aarefa Johari

Picture of Maitreyee Boruah

Maitreyee Boruah

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Rakhi Ghosh

Rakhi Ghosh

Picture of Sonu Pandey

Sonu Pandey

Picture of Esha Roy

Esha Roy

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Shreehari Paliath

Shreehari Paliath

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Anuj Behal

Anuj Behal

Picture of Hepzi Anthony

Hepzi Anthony

Picture of Aishwarya Tripathi

Aishwarya Tripathi

Picture of Subha J Rao

Subha J Rao

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Roli Srivastava

Roli Srivastava

Picture of Anuja

Anuja

Picture of Mansi Bhaktwani

Mansi Bhaktwani

Picture of Neetu Singh

Neetu Singh

Picture of Nidhi jamwal

Nidhi jamwal

Picture of Esha Roy

Esha Roy

Picture of Tanmoy Bhaduri

Tanmoy Bhaduri

Picture of Aarefa Johari

Aarefa Johari

Picture of Amoolya Rajappa

Amoolya Rajappa

Picture of Roli Srivastava

Roli Srivastava

Picture of Abhijit Mohanty

Abhijit Mohanty

Picture of Sanskriti Talwar

Sanskriti Talwar

Picture of Arshdeep Arshi

Arshdeep Arshi

Picture of Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth

Picture of Anuj Behal

Anuj Behal

Picture of Varsha Torgalkar

Varsha Torgalkar

Picture of Suchak Patel

Suchak Patel

Picture of Jigyasa Mishra

Jigyasa Mishra

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Anumeha Yadav

Anumeha Yadav

Picture of Preksha Sharma

Preksha Sharma

Picture of Roli Srivastava

Roli Srivastava

Illustration credit : Abhiruchi Das

Reportage
31 July 2026

‘We cook this differently back home’: What staff meals reveal about migration in Bengaluru’s restaurants

For workers from Assam, Nagaland and Bihar, staff meals served between shifts becomes a reminder of home, a lesson in adjustment and an economic lifeline in the city

Pratima Chabbi

Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons

Reportage
31 July 2026

The hidden financial burden of passport renewals for Indian workers in the Gulf

The Indian government’s recent hike in passport renewal fees adds to the pressure of rising food and rent costs of migrant workers in the UAE, threatening the vital remittances they send home to support their families

KT Abdurabb

Pic credit: PDAG

Podcast
31 July 2026

Safety and housing in India’s 24-hour factories

Across industrial hubs, when a hazardous chemical line or a padlocked exit sits right next to where workers sleep, an occupational hazard becomes a threat even after a work shift ends

Sandhya Soman

Picture of Seema Kulkarni

Seema Kulkarni

Picture of Isha Gupta

Isha Gupta

Picture of Rakhi Sehgal

Rakhi Sehgal

Picture of Dharmendra Kumar

Dharmendra Kumar

Picture of S Irudaya Rajan

S Irudaya Rajan

Picture of Bhanumathi Kalluri

Bhanumathi Kalluri

Picture of Vishaka Warrier

Vishaka Warrier

Picture of Soha Moitra

Soha Moitra

Picture of Shanta Gokhale

Shanta Gokhale

Picture of Renu Desai

Renu Desai

Pic credit: Vidya Kulkarni

29 July 2026

Beyond recognition, the way forward for Maharashtra’s women farmers

Male migration, agrarian distress and farmer suicides have transformed Maharashtra’s countryside, with women taking charge of farming while remaining invisible in law. The landmark Maharashtra’s Women Farmers Empowerment Law finally recognises them—but its promise will be realised only if recognition is matched by rights, resources and institutional support

Seema Kulkarni

Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons

Video
29 July 2026

Delhi’s e-rickshaw drivers still recovering from app attack

Unsecured Bluetooth in Chinese-made batteries lets anyone nearby stop an e-rickshaw’s power with a free app, leaving migrant drivers stranded in the middle of the roads with fear and loss of a day’s wages due to a flaw they were unaware about. Despite a government ban on these apps, many e-rickshaw drivers still face problems

Sajid Ali

Pic credit: Varsha Torgalkar

Reportage
27 July 2026

Migrant workers on the wari trail tackle heat, loss of green cover

The recently concluded wari in Maharashtra is a ‘spiritual dose’ that inspires pilgrims to walk 240 kilometres from Dehu and Alandi to Pandharpur. But farmers and migrant labourers, who comprise most of the participants, lament the environmental destruction that is making their pilgrimage that much tougher

Varsha Torgalkar

Analysis
& Data

Picture of Liby Johnson

Liby Johnson

Picture of Arindam Banerjee

Arindam Banerjee

Picture of Nupur Joshi

Nupur Joshi

Picture of Aarti Khosla

Aarti Khosla

Picture of Jyoti Yadav

Jyoti Yadav

Picture of Lata Biswal

Lata Biswal

Picture of Sujit Kumar Mishra

Sujit Kumar Mishra

Picture of Bhargavi S Rao

Bhargavi S Rao

Picture of Satwiki Adla

Satwiki Adla

Picture of Subuhi Jiwani

Subuhi Jiwani

Pic credit: PDAG

Podcast
27 July 2026

Beyond the Shadow Lines: Borders, memory and belonging

Revisiting Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines to explore how memory, migration, and imagined borders shape our understanding of home and identity.

Zainab S Qazi

Pic credit: Amoolya Rajappa

Video
24 July 2026

‘Want the protest to succeed’: Voices of migrants from Jantar Mantar

Thousands have gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand accountability over the NEET paper leak. Migrant workers, including tea sellers, delivery riders, and bag vendors, are working from the fringes, becoming part of the movement

Sajid Ali

Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons

Reportage
24 July 2026

Migration bulletin: Of conflict, wage cuts and counting of migrants

New migration agreements, worker distress in the Gulf, India filling Germany’s labour shortage gap and Census debates shaped the migration conversation in July

Team TMS

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Picture of Purusottam Thakur

Purusottam Thakur

Picture of Aishwarya Mohanty

Aishwarya Mohanty

Pic credit: PDAG

Analysis
21 July 2026

Mind the gap: the need for migration policies to address women’s mounting work

A conversation with a woman in flood-hit Nagaon in Assam, and years of field research across climate-vulnerable communities, point to the same uncomfortable truth: when climate disasters push men to migrate, women are left to carry households, livelihoods and care work that policy still struggles to see.

Arindam Banerjee

Bhargabi Ghosh

Pic credit: Amoolya Rajappa

Video
16 July 2026

How women brought water back to this Himalayan village

For generations, Moldhar’s springs sustained locals for drinking water, farming and livestock but farming declined, livelihoods disappeared and many men migrated. Now, 29 women from the village have brought the water back, but the harder task of bringing people home has only just begun

Aishwarya Mohanty

Deekshith R Pai

Pic credit: Amoolya Rajappa

Video
15 July 2026

The music of the mountains calls to migrants

Meet the musicians using Jagar and Garhwali songs to remind migrants that the hills, farms and winding roads they left behind still call them home.

Jasmeh Kaur

Sanshey Biswas

Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons

Reportage
14 July 2026

‘My world turned upside down when my father went missing’

What happens when a migrant worker goes missing? A son tells the story of an endless search for his missing father for the last seven years and the long road to justice

Salim Sheikh

Pic credit: Amoolya Rajappa

Reportage
9 July 2026

Air coolers, ORS and medical aid: Outdoor workers in India find rare relief from heat

Cooling centres in Bengaluru and other parts of India are being viewed as a practical response to rising heat stress for some of the country’s most vulnerable. But as centres close with the onset of the monsoon,workers wish for them to run through the year

Amoolya Rajappa

Podcast &
Videos

In

Reportage

HOOKED

Working in the shadow of danger

Floods set to trigger fresh wave of migration from Assam’s districts

The hidden financial burden of passport renewals for Indian workers in the Gulf

‘We cook this differently back home’: What staff meals reveal about migration in Bengaluru’s restaurants

Migrant workers on the wari trail tackle heat, loss of green cover

Migration Bulletin: Of conflict, wage cuts and counting of migrants

‘My world turned upside down when my father went missing’

Air coolers, ORS and medical aid: Outdoor workers in India find rare relief from heat

How migrants keep Delhi’s ice economy from melting away

Podcast

Safety and housing in India’s 24-hour factories

Beyond the Shadow Lines: Borders, memory and belonging

‘I now send money home’

In sweltering factories, women making clothes confront health risks

Fire in the Belly: Poetry as Political Memory

From Punjab to Australia: A great grandson uncovers his family’s century-old migration history

Rethinking welfare for workers

India in threads: the hands that make your saris

Working out the economics behind the labour codes

Inside India’s Scam Economy

Episode 39_Youtube

Research

HOOKED

Working in the shadow of danger

‘I am scared to step out’: After attacks, Kashmiri shawl sellers stare at an uncertain future

Floods set to trigger fresh wave of migration from Assam’s districts

Through the looking glass: Mapping the many futures of the Odisha-Kerala migration corridor

How persistent nighttime heat is wearing down Delhi’s workers

Safety and housing in India’s 24-hour factories

The hidden financial burden of passport renewals for Indian workers in the Gulf

‘We cook this differently back home’: What staff meals reveal about migration in Bengaluru’s restaurants

Delhi’s e-rickshaw drivers still recovering from app attack

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