Geetanjali Krishna: The classic migrant

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Last month, when many parts of Bihar were flooded, Nawal got a frantic call from his family in Verma village, in Bihar's Sitamarhi district. Their paddy crop had been destroyed and the river was almost lapping at their doorsteps. He couldn't go immediately, but rushed enough money home to tide his family over the crisis.

During our conversation after he returned, he recalled the many times in the past eight years that he'd been in Delhi, when the family crop withered away because of either too much water or too little. "I now realise how important it is for my family to have me working in Delhi," said he.

"Since there are few money transactions in the village, even though my father is well off, he has little cash other than what I send. Second, and most important, it means that they're not dependant only on the harvest for income," said he thoughtfully.

Perhaps his father had thought of these very things when he consented to send his son to work in Delhi. "There wasn't any financial need for me to go," said Nawal, "we're quite well off "" my father's the head of the village panchayat, and has a general store in addition to five bighas of land on which we grow paddy or wheat (depending on the season), potatos and a banana grove with about 250 to 300 trees."

Eventually the lure of the lucre pulled Nawal to Delhi in 1996. "I was the classic migrant, no money in my pockets, no job, only big dreams," said Nawal, "I just had to make money. I'm the eldest son and my two sisters weren't married then. I wanted to do more than just working in the family shop, or tending the family land!"

Within a few months, Nawal landed a good job with a paper exporter, and rented a small room in Garhi with four village mates. "Today, eighty per cent of the boys in my village work in cities. The ones in Delhi, about 50 to 60 men, all live within a two-km radius of Garhi," said he, adding, "this way we manage to stay in touch. Someone knows of a good job available, others returning from the village bring news of home. Whenever I go home, I bring back someone new with me. Then it's my responsibility to feed him, keep him, till he finds a job."

Non-resident villagers such as Nawal pump most of the cash that Verma village normally sees. Nawal's earnings, for instance, were used to buy good dowries for his two sisters, and now his father plan to increase his landholding.

"He's now told me not to send money every month, they don't need it. Instead, I'm educating my younger brother back home, spending close to Rs 2,500 to ensure he gets the best coaching for medical entrance tests," said he.

And when he goes back home, twice a year, he gives a lump sum to his father. Nawal's wife and two young children alternate between living in the village and in Delhi, so that his parents don't feel cut off. "My father also says that if my wife and kids stay in the village, I'll save more money," said he.

City life has afforded Nawal many new experiences that he'd perhaps never have had in his village. He's become a foodie, enjoying the variety of food available in Delhi, and works out at the local gym everyday. "I can now drive a car, and am learning to work the internet on Sundays," said he.

But all this hasn't changed him fundamentally, he says "" at heart, he's still a boy from Verma Village, district Sitamarhi.