Marginal but Modern: Young Nepali Labour Migrants in India

Abstract

Migration to India has been one of the key livelihood strategies amongst marginal households in the middle hills of Nepal. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in western and far-western hill villages in Nepal, including tracing the experience of young men who take on adult responsibility to travel to find work opportunities in Mumbai and Nainital in India, this article discusses how the steady flow of marginal migrants from the middle hills is shaped and sustained by gendered and generational considerations. An intriguing aspect of young migrants’ lives in India is their participation in consumption of modern commodities despite their marginal position and difficult working condition.