The contributing might of migrant work force

Due to geographical, business and political divergence, some of our states have made rapid economic strides in a very faster pace while others are found far off lagging behind. As a result, the people of the backward and weaker states become residents in the prospering Indian states for the sake of employment and their very livelihood. That these people have made these states prosper all rounds with their sheer grit of skill, labour and sweat goes without saying.

Though anybody is free to go anywhere in the Indian Territory to earn and settle down, due to just winning some political brownie points, the migrants are labelled as intruders in the states as if they have intruded from the Pakistani side of fences. The hawks are to be found in Maharashtra, South India and eastern parts of India who spreading hatred of regionalism card just to bake their bread of politicking of vote bank.

The migrant going into other states in search of employment leaving their native states behind treat their new destination as their ‘karma bhumi’ with ‘manasa, vacha and karmana’. The smell of sweat of these migrant people could be had in the over-filling state coffers. Under such a situation, if an atmosphere of insecurity fear and intimidation is spread by an individual, institution or group of persons, this is a crime against the nation punishable under the law. This is highly condemnable and should be stopped forthwith. Such type of politicking of spreading hatred by the politics of regionalism is the biggest threat for us all to be shunned as well as punish such agencies, individuals, group of people or political organizations with whatever resources are there under our command.

Inter region mobility- gives our life its colours and bliss

‘Ghummakkad Shastra’ is the book written by the great scholar Rahul Sankrityayan in 1948. Its theme is associated with basic picturisation of the Indian society i.e. mobility and journey. In it, it ha also been pointed out that one should try to learn the mobility as the way of our life which would prove to be helpful ahead in understanding the world better. He had also opined that the non resident status gives off the different lessons of living life together with different people, in different land and culture than where we come from.

History of migration- centuries old

The ‘Videshia Sangeet’ most popular in northern Indi teaches us the same lesson that people from centuries have been wandering from one place to the other in search of livelihood leaving behind their dear and near ones. Our country has a very old tradition of migrating from one area to another and had mutual coordination with the people where they went to inhabit.

But we still behave with the migrant as a second class citizen having lesser rights than the local people. It’s but natural for a person to find himself separated when he migrates to settle in new land with newer people in newer culture and tradition. The locals treat the culture of migrants as different. But in the modern society, this separatist mindset is not considered as high or low bent of mind.

Culture differences can’t take away fundamental rights

In a democratic society such as what is ours’, cultural differences can’t be treated as the basis of the fundamental rights such as the right to livelihood or legal positions. Right to livelihood is the fundamental human right and migration in India is compulsory than a luxury due to unequal progress and growth of different regions. Migration is the only tool with which the people from the poor region seek employability for livelihood by migrating to other states. The point to be here is that the migratory labour never snatches the employment opportunities from their local brethren but help rather in cooperating in the development activities of the area.

The ever contributing might of migrant forces

The big city people move in the taxies and the autorikshaws run by the migrant people. These very people bring the food in restaurants on the tables. The city populace live in the apartments built with the hands of these very migratory humans. Metro rails have been constructed with their sweat and blood. What is more- right from the cleaning of the homes to the treatments meted in hospitals are being carried out by these migrating people. Particularly the poor migrants assist in living a luxurious life in metro in the homes of the upward moving middle class families.

Migration impacts women much more

Migration impacts adversely more to the women. When women migrate from their birth place, the unnecessary binding of the joint family is lifted off and many respects, their capacity to take important decisions augments up. Living in new environs is itself a type of a lesson. The history of migration of nurses in Kerala is an instance in point. This teaches a lesson to our society. These women of Kerala establish an ideal of sorts searching for jobs and reallocating themselves to newer places in search of livelihood. When under such a situation, the migration history is not replete with snatching jobs from the locals hen how come has it become so now? Why do some agencies and political parties think their good lays in the sloganeering of ‘Foreigners Out’?

Culture and traditions are never permanent

Culture and conventions have never remained constant for ever. What we call Bengali today or Marathi had a different form and shape some 100 years ago. The idea of a pure culture is not only wrong but dangerous too because this leads towards ethnic cleansing. People have been migrating for centuries due to which all cultures have become mixed up in each others. The political parties which talk the language of a pure culture are showing off their backward mindset. If such parties succeed, this would be indicative of our backwardness. The society can’t be mortgaged in the hands of such base thinking.

Conclusion

Let me narrate a story before concluding which makes an interesting read.

Haribansh Rai Bacchan in his audiobiography makes mentions of one anecdote during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Akbar had presented a ‘Hukka’ (the smoking pipe pot) to one most loyal of his minsters. After the passage of times, the parts of that ‘Hukka’ scattered here and there after breaking up. The ‘Hukka’ was reassembled with newer materials and nothing original was left in the freshly assembled up ‘Hukka’. Even then the family called that ‘Hukka’ as ‘Akabar ka Hukka’. So goes ditto with the culture as well. This always keeps changing on and on and on never ever ceasing for once.