The government’s skill development schemes encouraged youth in Raichur to migrate to cities for ‘better jobs’, but they only found low-paid work in urban areas and have been returning to their villages ? Vishaka V. Warrier Supriya RoyChowdhury An industrial skills training centre for rural youth in Muranpur village, Raichur district, Karnataka. Vishaka V. Warrier/The Migration Story i “I was really excited about working in Bangalore. I went there to attend a sales managemen

As the World Breastfeeding Week (August 1–7) concludes today, we take you to brick kilns of Uttar Pradesh where informed choices, community support, and mothers’ courage are building a healthier future for children. Soha Moitra File Picture “ I t was mid-noon and we were working under a scorching sun, when suddenly I heard a shrill cry. My baby was crying. I rushed to the makeshift brick shed, and just as I started feeding her, a hoarse voice roared from outside. It was our s

‘Let governments rest assured that we as a people have remained beautifully unified through all these times. It is not language that has ever divided us’ Shanta Gokhale Janmashtami festival celebration in Mumbai. Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons. Pic used for representational purpose only Language is culture. It is a carrier of identity, of a unique way of looking at the world. The first word a baby hears and the first lullaby that puts it to sleep is in its birth language. The

Migrant worker communities in cities occupy precarious residences, ranging from informal rentals, employer-provided rooms or squatting on vacant lands. Can cities be reimagined to provide them dignified housing? Renu Desai Rooms in temporary labour colonies for construction workers lack adequate sanitation forcing workers to build semi-open bathing enclosures (as seen in the left) where possible. Picture credit: Renu Desai India’s economy is sustained by a vast, informal migr

A grandmother traces her grandfather’s migration journey  from over a century ago to better understand her equal love for avial, payasam and  litti chokha.  Geeta Ramani AI Illustration “Naani”, asked my five-year-old granddaughter, in all her worldly wisdom, “Where are my great grandparents?  Do you think they love me?” As I prepared to answer her inquisitive queries, my mind wandered, not just to her Great Grandparents but to mine as well - what a profound chord her innocen

Forest and tiger conservation programmes are leading to the relocation and evictions of tribal communities from their homelands, forcing...

Cinema once held a mirror to the woes of India’s working class. But even the scenes of thousands marching home during the pandemic failed...

The main reason mainstream media in India covered the “great exodus” from our cities during the COVID-19 lockdown is because it was a...

Dutch sociologist Jan Breman’s book reveals how the bonded labor system in India, though officially abolished, persists in insidious, morphed forms Rejimon Kuttappan Picture used for representational purpose only Between 2007 and 2017, as a reporter in Oman, I was deeply immersed in telling migration stories, with the plight of labor migrants in the Arab Gulf occupying the forefront of my focus. During those years, Gulf countries were far from adopting labor-friendly policies

The story of human migration is a complex and difficult one to tell. But children’s authors are helping young readers understand the idea of home and sense of belonging through stories rooted in reality Vidya Mani Illustration by Sharanya Kunnath. Migration and displacement are significant global issues, often caused by challenges that include political instability, conflict, climate change, natural disasters, and the need to find better economic opportunities. According to U

What can migrants’ earnings buy? In Odisha, migrant workers are bringing in as much or more financial resources as the government spends on development activity in some blocks. The income from migration has pulled families out of debt and poverty in several villages, research shows Liby Johnson Bustling market area in Surada block. Photo credit: Rufus Sunny, Gram Vikas “I think there is something seriously wrong with the household survey in Surada. The numbers that are coming

The death of a Bhojpuri singer this summer is a blow to the already dying folk tradition that reflects the historical reality of millions who were taken from India to work as indentured workers in British colonies around the world Simit Bhagat   Gopal Maurya and his troupe get ready for a performance outside his home in Buxar, Bihar, in 2017. Picture credit: The Bidesia Project Shivlal Baari was 75-years-old when I first met him in Mishrauliya village in Chhapra, Bihar. The

To protect street vendors/urban workers from the impact of rising heat, Indian cities need inclusive policies.

The theme of large-scale human exodus is one of the most prevalent and persuasive in world cinema, ubiquitous in international festivals.

A first-hand account of life in a New Delhi shelter home during a heatwave

The focus migrant workers received during the COVID lockdowns has  largely disappeared and political manifestos are pitifully thin on worker

Across many Chennai homes, men from north India are cooking up a storm, having perfected the cuisine from Tamil Nadu, learning, along the wa

For decades, Hindi cinema has captured how seductive cities lure villagers and how harsh reality eventually leads to heartbreak Radha...