Migration

Ilish Porbo: A Community Food Festival

People often associate strong emotions of ‘home and comfort’ with certain food and food preparations. This stands true for the first generation Bengali migrants living in the Delhi-NCR area. Each year, during the monsoon season, members of Amraa Shobai, group of Bengali residents from Delhi and NCR, organize the ‘Ilish Porbo’ food festival in Chittaranjan Park (CR Park).

Taking the Migrants Home (4)

Many migrant labourers and their families have started walking to reach their home towns after the uncertainities of train arrangements and costs. Among them was a group of 20 migrants who undertook the long walk home from Jalna (Maharashtra) to Bhusaval, 157 km apart. The group chose to walk on railway tracks in order to avoid the highway, where they could have been stopped. The group likely assumed that the trains were not running.

Taking the Migrants Home (3)

“These are people who have come to work in Bangalore. Once there is employment, normalcy will get established… so why go back then? Those who still want to go back can do so using their own vehicle,” said N Manjunath Prasad, nodal officer for inter-state travel from Karnataka. 

The CM of Karanataka BS Yediyurappa met prominent builders and real estate firms who reportedly expressed concern over the mass exodus of labourers on 5 May.

Taking the Migrants Home (2)

Shramik Special trains were started to take home lakhs of stranded migrant labourers and their families to their hometown. Many of them have run of out of money and food because of the restrictions imposed to combat the Covid 19. The relief mesaures have been ill planned. Those coming from Surat in Gujarat have alleged that they were charged Rs 800 against a ticket with a printed cost of Rs 630. The labourers said they had no choice but to pay the money if they wanted to return. 

Taking the Migrants Home (1)

Indian Railways announced operation of more Shramik special trains for evacuating stranded migrant workers, labourers, pilgrims, and students from various parts of the country from May 4. The decision came after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for the movement of these groups of people on May 1, 2020... a decision that gave some glimmer of hope to the thousands of stranded migrant labourers across the country after the lockdown was announced on 23 March 2020. 

 

Waiting for food

With no forewarning of nation-wide locked as announced on 25 March 2020 amid the Covid 19 pandemic and no relief measures in place, millions of people, especially daily wage and migrant labourers, in India were caught unawares. Extention of the lockdown even while there were talks of relaxation further added to the woes of the people.

Here one can see people hanging their utensils on railings, while they wait to collect food distributed by volunteers, at Mayur Vihar in Delhi.

Migrants' Walk (2)

Thousands of stranded migrant labourers and their families have been making desperate attempts to reach their villages amind the lockdown in India imposed by the Centre and state governments to combat Covid 19. The police in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, found at least 18 workers hiding inside a cement mixer bound from Maharashtra to Lucknow on 2 May 2020.

 

Migrants' Walk (1)

When on 25 March 2020, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced immediate lockdown in the country to stem the spread of Covid 19, without a forewarning, it left millions of migrant workers unemployed and no way of sustaining themselves. While thousands undertook walking on foot, many rushed to the inter-state bus terminals before they too were shut down.

 

Different? Not really

The two women are as different as chalk and cheese. And I don't mean in terms of skin colour alone. Their appearance distinctly identifies them from two different regions of India - Northeast and South. They speak different languages and cook and eat food vastly different. But they are one - as women, as mothers as sisters in arms. They are united in their strength in the face of adversity. Migration, resettlement and subsistence bring them together in this space. Each is invisible, marginalised and discriminated against - be it colour, caste or communal identity.

Subscribe to RSS - Migration