Migration (a project in progress)
This is an effort to look at the neglected issue of MIGRATION and village life in today’s India as our society changes from agrarian to industrial . India is a fast growing economy, but our villages are in a state of neglect and under-developed, as a result of past legacies and defects in our planning process. Today rural India is facing issues such as land acquisition, scarcity of rural employment, fragmentation of land holdings and declining public investment in agriculture as well as a lack of basic amenities, like drinking water, electricity, health care, education. thus creating a crisis for rural Indians who are forced to migrate to other states and foreign lands in search of jobs and a better life. Here are few photographs from my visit to a small village in Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Uttar Pradesh, constitutes 41 percent of all our migrants. Migration to Maharashtra accounts for 32 percent even though Maharashtra is not a border state.
struggle of the spade
As young ones have migrated to urban areas ,elderly people working in the fields is a common sight
Vacant house from the village.
9 year old girl shakti (name changed) working in fields .like many other girls she is never been to school.
In the absence of proper drinking water facilities , rain water is still stored and valued the most.
27 year old Mahendra(in foreground) works as a peasant and for a better life is planning to migrate to big city soon.
The “Tamasha” of Indian politics goes on and on .its time that government wakes up to the neglected issue of MIGRATION.
Night out @ISBT (Bus stand)New Delhi
Yes, a night out @ISBT (bus station) New Delhi. 13th August , Saturday night was an unforgettable experience for thousands of passengers who came to Capital city’s bus station.A rush was expected due to the public holiday, but nobody expected such chaos. From 11pm till 3 am, only a few buses arrived and some lucky people got seats. The rest flocked inside and others sat on top of the buses.
Apart from the buses, security was also insufficient. The first glimpse of a security officer was around 5 am.Hopefully he had a good night’s sleep, unlike the commuters at the bus station. Families, including small kids, had no choice but to stay and sleep there. So, after sweating it out for hours, many of the commuters spent the night out sleeping at ISBT
