Urban Dreams and Daunting Realities: A Case of Inpui Youths in Delhi

image credit:pexels|Sarfdajung Tomb 

Introduction

Pakne pak eh dabe nampui nampang bi pak thang ngo (If you want to leave your village, go to a big village (Inpui proverb)

Migration, movement of people from one place to another has been in existence since the birth of society. There are two primary types of migration internal and international which can be self-induced or forced upon. Here, the study is on self-induced internal migration from rural to urban areas. Inpuis, for instance, have lots of unrecorded oral historical accounts of families and villages moving from one location to another. This movement from one location to another was mostly in search of better settlements based on the natural providence such as availability of water, strategic location, space for agricultural activities and not necessarily access to the market. But in recent years this has dramatically changed. People are fast-moving due to various reasons such as advancement in communication, transport, and technology. Travel has become easier and cheaper.

Even in the context of Inpuis, outward migration from the village to town and cities both permanent and temporary is rising. This rapid rise in migration in recent years in pursuit of better livelihood can be attributed to a lack of living space, employment opportunities, good social infrastructures like school, college, hospital, etc. Inpuis have migrated to Imphal, Tamenglong, Senapati (Manipur), Dimapur and Kohima (Nagaland). But this article will focus on Inpuis in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR).

North Easterners in Delhi and emerging trend

Delhi has become a preferred destination for job seekers due to the presence of job opportunities both in the government sector and private sector and for pursuing education as the city has major educational institutions like JNU, Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Ambedkar, Amity, Jindal, etc. Not only this, but it is also a tourist destination as the expanding city landscape offers new avenues to explore along with world-famous historical sites. Delhi is also a major health hub in the country with internationally reputed government hospitals such as AIIMS and Sarfdajung providing world-class health facilities at an affordable rate and private hospitals such as Apollo, Fortis, Artemis, etc, becoming major health service providers. There are more than two lakhs North Easterners in Delhi and among which above thirty thousand are Nagas.

There are various factors for choosing this city such as i) location of all central offices ii) job opportunities in both government and private sectors iii) educational hub iv) medical facilities v) affordable living (affordable rent and household basics necessities) vi) easy connectivity within Delhi (metro and DTC transportation system) vii) easy connectivity with the rest of India and the world. viii) major NE population outside the Northeast has made Delhi the first choice of Northeasters as well. 

In the early phase of migration from Northeast, the main objective for coming to Delhi was for pursuing higher education and those employed by the central government and rarely for employment opportunities but this migration attitude changed due to the rapid pace of globalization which opens up the Indian economy through liberalization in the 1990s where many new opportunities emerge in the country.

These basic opportunities were not available in the North-Eastern states. Now, with the majority of the Northeasterners living in Delhi gainfully employed in various sectors, it offers a healthy sign of growth as remittance is sent home from their earning. For long, the burgeoning economy and infrastructural growth in the various part of mainland India did not reach the North-East states of India due to apathy and neglect. It may be pointed out that the policy framers in the center see northeast from a geostrategic calculation. The infrastructure development which offers job opportunities was basically non-existent in Northeast (NE). Employment was for long considered only in the government sector.

 

The scarcity of employment opportunities and the rote education system couple with little outside exposer has made youth especially from NE moved to metros like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Delhi. Today, migration trend has speeded up due to search for gainful employment and not education as the main driving force, as many youths who completed their education from the NE are migrating seeking jobs either in government sector or private sectors. Along with this trend, many independent entrepreneurs have also emerged. NE seniors/elders who have stayed in Delhi for the past 20 years or so have also expressed that there are drastic changes in the attitude and mindset of the people. Delhi is not the only city that has seen this trend.

Today, NE people have moved on from pursuing education to job seekers and even employment/service providers as young entrepreneurs have emerged in various sectors. Now, there are thousands of Nagas settled permanently in Delhi and NCR. The new trend is also visible even in education sectors as students are no more confined to conventional education/graduate degree (arts, commerce or science) instead they have begun to pursue their interest and follow their dreams by pursuing degrees in art, law, fashion, makeup, photography, music, web designing, journalism and others which are very encouraging.

Challenges in the pursuit of success

There are various issues faced by the Northeasters in Delhi particularly the newcomers such as hot weather, language barriers and lack of space in the rented accommodation. Apart from the weather, lack of proper sanitation (dirty streets, dirty locality), dogs, racial discrimination (which can be physical such as violence and verbal such as slur, chinki, momo, bahadur, Chinese, etc), water, rent problem/accommodation issue, and lack of professional qualification especially those who come here to seek a job. 

The majority of the migrants are employed in the private sector which is known for their “hire and fire” attitude. Most North Easterners also face the issue of lower salary as compared to mainland Indians on the pretext that they are freshers with little or no skills, lack of language skills. But most importantly, this can be attributed to a lack of professional training or certificate at their disposal. Here, even the well-qualified ones also face discrimination in promotion based on racial inhibition.

The notion of tribal's tag from exotic NE is still a big issue in both the government/corporate sectors and ignorantly plays out on streets and galis of Delhi. This is equally true even for Dalits and the OBCs which has been a source of debate and discussion on various platforms. Northeasterners are seen as alien and foreigners. The chinki tag continues to be used even by the educated people. Given this lack of awareness about the rich diversity of India, the Indian government's educational system and media have a lot to do than legislate and write about insurgency and security in the Northeast. 

The dismal infrastructure development should be developed to benefit the NE and not on the pretext of having trade with ASEAN countries or for strategic defense mechanism which has long been practiced and miserably failed. The problem of the insurgency will ever be present if the issue of the job, social service, and good governance are not properly ensured in the region.

According to statistics available with the ISUD, the number of migrants coming to Delhi has increased manifold in the past three to four years. They are here for different purposes ranging from education (secular and theology), job, medical check-up and as a tourist, etc. Inpuis in Delhi is associated with the Inpui Students' Union Delhi (ISUD)  and the Inpui Baptist Church Delhi (IBCD).  Apart from the community-based organization they also actively participate in other social organizations like NPMHR, NSUD, Evangelical Union, NESSDU, and other NGOs. This not only expands its reach but also gives visibility to the tribe as well. They, like the rest of the North Easterners, face the same issues. 

For instance, in the private sector, they fail to rise in the job hierarchy due to a lack of educational qualifications, professional/skill training, and experiences. And the majority of the migrants are in the BPO sector (commonly known as call centers) both genuine and scam which is a fact. BPO job is the most sought-after job for NE migrants due to easy job interview and availability with little or no requirement for high educational qualification and skills, easy source of income, the providence of conveyance, lunch, and dinner, etc. But this trend seems to shift in favor of stricter norms and higher qualification. It can also be noted that even theological students working in BPO have become a common occurrence.

Most of the Inpuis in Delhi are youths, employed in either government and private sectors which includes hospitality, mall, air hostess, health and medical, fashion, salon, school, etc. Though BPO offers easy access to a job, this trend is not so healthy as there is limited scope for growth. But since job seekers are usually without technical knowledge or business training, to be gainfully employed with job satisfaction can be far from the truth and can often be a dead end to one’s career and development. There is a dire need for job seekers to go for training and diversify educational patterns in order to close the gap between education and industry requirements. The education system at home is still confined to the impartment of the three Rs (reading, writing, and arithmetic) in high schools and the conventional graduate in arts/science/commerce are the well-trodden path. 

This needs to change in order to cope up with the changing job environment. A person whose creativity is in art, should not be encouraged to go for exam preparation against his or her will just because we need an officer. Needless to mention, a private-sector job is flexible and can earn a good income which can exceed the government sector. The difference can be job security in the government sector. If ones have the desired qualification fit for market consumption than one needs no worry. Soon, this emerging market trend will reach our once remote areas.

Looking at the fast-changing social-economic landscape, the arrival of the railway network and the Asian highway driven by India’s Act East Policy will offer ample opportunities. But the same problem may emerge if the pattern of pursuing education does not change. The job market will also be captured by outsiders. The capital city, Imphal will soon turn to the major economic hub in the NE with international players entering the market competition. For this, we need well-trained expertise, not just graduates but engineers, fashion experts, medical professionals, lawyers, etc.

Concluding remarks

“Education may well be, as of right, the instrument whereby every individual, in a society like our own, can gain access to any kind of discourse. But we all know that in its distribution, in what it permits and prevents, it follows the well-trodden battle lines of social conflict. Every educational system is a political means of maintaining or modifying the appropriation of discourse with the knowledge and powers it carries with it.” (Michel Foucault,(1972) 

Society is well aware of education as a tool for social change but how we utilize to our benefit is the challenge in our context. Now there is a certain realization that education just for the sake of it has no values. There is an urgent need to diversify our scope of educational pursuit as the days of BA, BSc and BCom are long gone and the professional course which can be leveraged to directly enter the job market is the best possible way to reach the higher echelon in the competitive job market.

Michel Foucault (1972) "The Discourse on Language," The Archaeology of Knowledge (London: Tavistock).

Sachoiba Inkah

The article first appeared in Kala-Khwanbaang 2017. Pp 7-10.