Category Archives: Migration

Animals in Nathupur village- Adorable & funny!

The focus of my fieldwork in Nathupur village is people, their stories, their experiences, their lives, their aspirations and disappointments and their physical conditions of living. It’s a fascinating checkerboard of ever-expanding scope, facets within facets and many hidden nuances … Continue reading

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Posted in Migration, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Busting myths about the poor and less educated: Field notes from Gurgaon

It always strikes me when I go out and interact with the poor; how much of our understanding of the world around us comes from deeply ingrained biases about social class. In our survey work in Nathupur Village, Gurgaon (which … Continue reading

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Posted in Migration, Urban poverty | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Heritage under your nose: Observations from Nathupur Village, Gurgaon

My first few visits to Nathupur village were way back in 2004-05 when we drove there all the way often to eat at Italiano’s. At the time, I recognized that this urban village adjacent to posh DLF Phase 3 had … Continue reading

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Posted in Community, Gurgaon, Heritage, Migration | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Using the ‘Right to the City’ approach to include migrants and other “others”

I was reminded today by various organizations on twitter that it is International Migrants Day. Migrant, a term that has fascinated me for a long time. What is it that makes someone uproot his or her life and go to … Continue reading

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Posted in cities, Democracy, governance, identity, Migration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Unfortunately, we’re focusing on the negative aspects of migration- Aug 18, 2012

Migration has been my area of interest for a very long time. Academically, I studied housing choices among Asian Indian immigrants in the United States, focusing on Houston. My masters dissertation outlined the radical differences between the settlement patterns of … Continue reading

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Posted in cities, Migration | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Street vendors add to the landscape of urban memories, identity- July 16, 2012

Street vendors, or hawkers as we also call them, are such an integral part of our lives in Indian cities. I just finished reading a book by Musharraf Ali Farooqi, a delicious little novella named ‘Between Clay and Dust’. The … Continue reading

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Posted in cities, identity, Livelihood, Migration, Public spaces, Urban poverty | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Conversations with the auto driver and the irreversible nature of migration- July 5, 2012

I had an interesting auto ride today. Walked a bit in the heat and didn’t find an auto, so when one stopped by with the driver apologetically inquiring if I minded him stopping by to fill gas, I hopped in. … Continue reading

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Posted in cities, Migration | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Background shouldn’t matter for the brave and talented: Mohan’s inspirational story- May 3, 2012

I have met a few young people who came from impoverished backgrounds who have given me immense hope. Mohan, who came from his village in Orissa and then worked in Delhi and Gurgaon as a domestic help for 6-7 years … Continue reading

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Posted in Anecdotes, Education, Livelihood, Migration, Urban poverty, Workforce, Youth | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A vibrant construction industry based on shoddy treatment of laborers? Shame! 1 May, 2012

At work, I’m part of a team working to set up a system for certifying affordable housing projects. The initiative is that of the Ashoka Innovators for the Public and we at mHS are working on the aspects of the … Continue reading

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Posted in Community, Housing, Livelihood, Migration, Urban poverty, Workforce | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can smartly designed private all-rental developments be the answer to housing woes? April 10, 2012

Imagine for a moment that a migrant entering a city could apply to one of several private housing rental companies, choose as per availability and simply move with minimum baggage into a serviced, privately managed property that fits her budget. … Continue reading

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Posted in Housing, Migration, Public spaces | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments