Migrant crisis in India during COVID-19 lockdown: through photos

Abstract

The Coronavirus pandemic saw a lockdown in the country. With the factories and workplaces shut down, many migrants in different cities of the country are stranded. The migrant workers were left with no livelihood. Many people traveling was stuck at stations or state. Amidst many other crises that the current pandemic situation brought about, the migrant exodus seen nationwide in India was an unprecedented crisis. Indian media covered this migrant crisis extensively through write-ups and photographs. This paper attempts to analyse the photographs covering the migrant crisis. Two hundred two photos published by Indian media houses were analysed for stylistic framing and visual patterns. More than 3000 migrants from north-central India were daily wagers and the workers majorly suffered. The extensive media coverage of the mass movements of the migrants has ensured that the crisis is seen, heard, and felt. The study found that the most dominant frames were human interest frames, and they highlighted human suffering, grief, and misery. This paper tries to see how Indian media has visually framed the migrant crisis during the COVID-19 lockdown in India.