Migrant Crisis, tried walking like one of them

Q2, 2020 - The first Covid lockdown

It was heart-wrenching to see what we did to migrant labors - Forcing millions of them walk on foot for thousands of kms with their family and kids - link

It impacted me even more because one of the projects I worked while at RangDe is convincing unemployed youth (living in abject poverty from remote villages of MP, UP, Orissa, TN etc) to migrate to cities, get them up-skilled, and subsequently get them placed.

I would have directly or indirectly encouraged hundreds of them to migrate to cities. Now, when I see whats happening to the migrants, I couldn’t comprehend, it was gut wrenching and broke my heart. I felt that walking back to Bangalore from my hometown (250 kms away) like one of them - on free food and shelter - will help me understand their plight and more importantly will help me figure out what I need to do to retain my sanity.

As per plan, I could get free accommodation for the night, just had to sleep outside the houses.

And I could get free food, most of the times

The only thing that didn’t go as per plan is I couldn’t walk the entire distance back to Bangalore. Walking for days with very little food and sleep, especially under a hot sun (coincidentally, there was a heatwave and it was around 44, link, had a toll on my health and stamina - By the fourth day, the cramps, and dehydration intensified) and soon after crossing the AP-Karnataka border, I had to take a ride back to Bangalore.

Long-distance slow walking gave me lot of time to introspect. Also interacting with the marginalized, especially dining and sleeping with them gave me some insights. The below opinions will evolve overtime, but this is what I could arrive at after few days on the road.

1. When survival is at stake, morality goes for a toss

When I started the journey, I used to think robbery, mosquitoes etc might pose a problem. Instead, it was the street dogs, especially those on the highway villages. They used to primarily rely on food wastage from hotels, dhabas etc on the road side. Since they are closed, they are deprived of their food and they are noticeably more aggressive, especially when they can smell the food you are carrying.

This goes for humans too, and we will only see more articles like the below if we continue our criminal negligence towards those in abject poverty - the most impacted by a pandemic.

When survival is at stake, no one gives a shit about morality - whether it’s dogs or humans.

2. I should ACT now and do my bit - not out of generosity but for my own good

• Pushing millions of migrants to starvation because of inaction and apathy
• Being so irresponsible in responding to an unprecedented crisis like covid
• Consistent efforts to marginalize Muslims
• Controlling the media so much so that they are reduced to cheerleading the government and covering it’s disastrous failures like these

Activities like this will have severe long-term repercussions - it will push millions back into poverty, will lead to increase in crime, will lead to constant religious conflicts etc

If I continue to be a mute spectator while all this was happening, and say in 40 years from now, if most of India becomes as insecure as some of the areas in BundhelKhand, how can I look at myself in the mirror and not feel ashamed, how can I sleep at peace in the night knowing that my kids, niece and nephew are facing the brunt of inactivity of millions like me.

I need to do lot more good proactively, not out of generosity but for my own well-being and for my kids well-being.

3. I reek of privilege

I reek of privilege and I should be grateful for that. During the journey, I tried to compare the hardships with what penniless migrants have gone through

• At any point in the journey, I never had to worry for my life or long-term health implications. Because I always knew that if it’s getting worse, I just had to make a phone call and I will get a cab (the expense is nothing for me) or ambulance in no-time. I can’t fathom what it will be to go on a 1000 km journey, that too with family with out such assurance. How horrible their starvation and life would have been in cities that they chose to walk back to their villages.
• I am 33, reasonably fit, alone, just 5 kgs of luggage but after just walking for 120+ kms with very little food, I had severe cramps, dehydration etc. I can not imagine them walking for 1000 kms, with kids and elders with out proper food and water.
• On an average, If I ask 10 people for accommodation, one would agree. And EVERY SINGLE person who had given me accommodation, asked for my caste. Almost always, these are the first three questions - Where are you coming from, why are you walking and what is your caste’. I am almost sure, they wouldn’t have extended the same help to a low-caste migrant worker even if he is more deserving
• And folks who helped me were lot more sympathetic because I look like a middle-class educated guy, decently dressed etc. It will not be the same for a migrant labour. One of my acquaintance in Tirupathi used to curse Indian government for not doing anything proactively to get her son stuck in New York and immediately, looking at the news scroll, she also cribs about migrants leaving from Vizag to Chattisgarh and spreading virus there. This is not just hypocrisy, this is primarily because as a society, we don’t even see the labour or road-side beggars as equals or humans.
• Only for few meals, I had to starve as I couldn’t get find anyone to give me food. And I used to worry if I will at-least get the next meal. For those in abject poverty, for most part of their life, then worry about their next meal. Having a house with a strong roof, having a bed without bugs/insects, not having to worry about food in-itself is a huge blessing and privilege, I need to be grateful for that.

4. Liquor addiction and Poverty is so inter-twined

I had so many encounters where liquor addition severely impacted their standard of living

• Demand for sheep is falling down. Hotels are closed, and some of the butcher-man are not buying like earlier because they are unsure of demand. A small washerman’s family also raised chicken and sheep on the side for additional income. On May 4th (the day Andhra opened up liquor sales), their third son, without informing the others, sold a sheep at HALF the price and drank booze for the entire amount. And irony is they live on government ration as their income is dwindling.
• I met a 31 year old who had worked as a bar attender in Tirupathi for 6 years and surprisingly the income was pretty good - 9K per month and around Rs 400 on tips per day. He is jobless now and cribs about not having money for food. And when inquired about his savings, it seems he spent around 10K per month on rent, food and groceries and the rest 10K on liquor per month and was bragging about all the brands and types of liquor he had.
• At around 3am, I noticed some sound and woke up to find someone sleeping on the road. It was pretty cold and I went to check on him to offer a blanket.

A 28 year old, works as a mason, coincidentally going from Tirupathi to Bangalore for his next project. He came by bus to Madana palle and then used-up the entire money he had for ‘country liquor’. Now he is out of money and slept on the road. In a day or two, it seems his manager (Mastry) will arrange some cash for him to come to Bangalore.