Thanks for writing this. It leaves me thinking about the good and bad of migration.
A good chunk of my acquaintances (including relatives and classmates from school) have not left the small town Rampur-UP I grew up in. Another chunk have not left the state. I see some of them contributing to improving the conditions in both the town and the state, yet I also see that some of them follow a particular ideology towards life - which may or may not be the road to progress (progress itself is subjective IMO).
My privilege allowed me to move away from the town, district, state and country of my birth. This had a profound impact on my perspective towards everything - life, politics, science. However, I also feel sad that through my exposure to these perspectives, I haven't been able to contribute directly to improving the places of my origin. I often think about the reason for this - whether it is due to lack of opportunities, or my zeal to create those opportunities. I haven't reached an answer yet.
Low levels of migration and urbanisation in India have concerned scholars for a long time now. It isn’t just that cities are not welcoming, but that caste and gender discriminations carry over to urban society, destroying Ambedkar’s cherished dream of social emancipation through education and migration. Nativism is persistent with state after state permitting an anti-migrant politics in total contradiction to their economic needs. As urbanised states turn towards capital intensive industry and less urbanised states struggle with poor human capital, the regional divides deepen. It’s a conundrum that needs deep debate, impossible in a scenario when questions are considered an inconvenience!
This post is based on 2011 census - have things changed since then ? The road network expansion and telecom network usage are far different and so is impact of climate change on agriculture
Thanks for writing this. It leaves me thinking about the good and bad of migration.
A good chunk of my acquaintances (including relatives and classmates from school) have not left the small town Rampur-UP I grew up in. Another chunk have not left the state. I see some of them contributing to improving the conditions in both the town and the state, yet I also see that some of them follow a particular ideology towards life - which may or may not be the road to progress (progress itself is subjective IMO).
My privilege allowed me to move away from the town, district, state and country of my birth. This had a profound impact on my perspective towards everything - life, politics, science. However, I also feel sad that through my exposure to these perspectives, I haven't been able to contribute directly to improving the places of my origin. I often think about the reason for this - whether it is due to lack of opportunities, or my zeal to create those opportunities. I haven't reached an answer yet.
just reading this comment of yours makes me say with 95% confidence that you're an amazing person. keep going. best of luck
For most of the folks in my circle migrating to a city of opportunity has been the most life changing event.
But given said that everyone would love to be close to home if ample opportunities are available
Ruchi,
The article is a revelation.
Gives us a new perspective to view and assess the current development model.
We are truly a "local" nation, warts and all.
Low levels of migration and urbanisation in India have concerned scholars for a long time now. It isn’t just that cities are not welcoming, but that caste and gender discriminations carry over to urban society, destroying Ambedkar’s cherished dream of social emancipation through education and migration. Nativism is persistent with state after state permitting an anti-migrant politics in total contradiction to their economic needs. As urbanised states turn towards capital intensive industry and less urbanised states struggle with poor human capital, the regional divides deepen. It’s a conundrum that needs deep debate, impossible in a scenario when questions are considered an inconvenience!
This post is based on 2011 census - have things changed since then ? The road network expansion and telecom network usage are far different and so is impact of climate change on agriculture
Please see the complete post.