The Lost Nest

Migration is a natural and a century-old process and is practiced not only in humans but in birds, animals and even in plants also. Sometimes it is driven by natural circumstances like flood, drought, cyclone and other natural calamities and sometimes it is man-made because of govt policies, ethnic conflicts, unequal distribution of wealth, lack of opportunities and proper infrastructure. The migration does not just carry an individual, its skills and its luggage but its culture, memoirs and its longings for its native place.

Migration is prevalent in developed as well as in developing countries though the volume is a quite higher and prevalent practice in developing countries as compared to the developed countries. In developed countries, migration is for the short term and for specific purposes like for academic, research, medical, etc not necessary for money always. But in developing countries, it may be a combination of all the above with money and livelihood being the prime factor. People tend to migrate from one district to another within a state, from a state to another or from one country to another. All the major commercial hubs, facilities are it education or medical are concentrated in few metro cities which are bloated with population exodus and facilities are already strained out in most of the developing countries.

In the UK which is one of the few developed countries in the world, I find most the people tend to work where their parents have stayed, where they have done their schooling or were they born. They might have to commute everyday for an hour or less to reach the workplace from their home. They need not to move out of their native place in search of jobs in most of the cases. There are few factors that help them. The industries, commercial hubs are well distributed over the entire country. Even a small town or suburb has at least a few small or medium scale companies, shopping hubs, and recreational centers. The infrastructure and basic facilities like education and medical are also at arm’s length. Even though if there is any workplace, college or hospital which is a little far away from their home, it can be covered shortly and comfortably because of high speed and punctual trains and buses running on modern rail tracks and well-maintained roads respectively. It does not add hassles to commuters. In fact, it gives them wings to fly and return to their nest in the evening.

In India, interstate migration is higher in north and east regions than in south or west regions. There may be historical, geographical or political reasons behind this. People from western and southern states tend to migrate to other countries than to other Indian states. Most of the industries and prominent medical and educational institutes are located in the west and south region. There are many villages in northern and eastern states where many houses have no young male available as they had to leave the place in search of either education or livelihood. These are houses of young women with babies and old parents. They patiently wait for their young lad’s phone calls and messages as well as the money they send from distant places be it Baroda or Bangalore. The migration is rampant not only in black collar jobs but in blue-collar jobs too.

The cycle of migration is mischievous. First, it forces you because of your need then it makes you habitual of the metro lifestyles and its busyness. Sometimes luxury becomes a necessity. Sometimes the cacophony of metros sounds like the cuckoo’s song. Similarly, the ‘migrated human birds’ tend to make their new nest in those metros. Most of the time these new nests are much smaller and restricted ones than the ones which they originally left when they had no choice. But we become used to these new nests. Erstwhile unknown face of the metros gradually becomes part of it. The already bloated metros keep on swelling over and over again. Government and policymakers continue to keep their primary focus on the lively and bubbly metros and it’s overcrowded busy inhabitants. Whereas the old and decrepit nest continue to wait for their young birds before it will finally go to ruins.Yes, the nests which are in our villages.