PANDEMIC MIGRATION
The pandemic had penned down the largest migrant exodus of India. Their fragile lives got scrambled on the roads that brought them to the cities in search of better livelihoods. Making arduous journeys while the fear of infection and hunger loomed over, they either reached from where they left or left this world. From pregnant mothers to infants, from elderlies to the sick, all genders and age groups bundled their dreams and toiled in despair. Their swollen and ruptured feet wrote a heartbreaking history on the roads that showcased the magnitude of migrant workers’ contribution to the present day India.
The partition of India in 1947 is believed to have witnessed the largest migration of a human population in history. With the birth of two nations, India and Pakistan, an estimated 15 million people underwent a ruthless migration. The mass exodus due to Covid 19 lockdown seems to have caused a tumultuous wave in a larger slice of population now.
Owing to one of the biggest humanitarian disasters, the hapless bulk of population - the migrant workers - were left with no other alternative than trudging along the same roads that once became their road to dreams.
After sharing a massive portion in the present day economy, migrants are often found to be missing from the national debates and policies. Just a visual of thousands of them walking bare foot on the roads with scorching sun over head and soaring grounds beneath the feet, sets a question mark to our planning and logistical strategies.
In the hope to find food, shelter and emotional security, the movement of these migrants should have left us standstill. The pictures born out of this tragedy will be etched forever on the human timeline. These heart-wrenching migration stories should always pinpoint the brunt of lockdown.