Reflections on place-making through neighbourhoods: an analysis of Northeast Indian out-migrants in Delhi

ABSTRACT

Census data shows that Northeast Indian (NEI) migration to various metropolitan cities has been fast emerging as a new phenomenon where Delhi is increasingly becoming a sought-after destination for out-migrants from the region. While on the one hand, the lack of opportunities or the developmental gaps in the region ‘pushes’ the youth out, and on the other, by catering to the labour market it not only contributes to the destination’s economy but has also leads to the creation or development of areas where people from the region are concentrated, including ‘Northeast Neighbourhoods’ within the vast city of Delhi. This paper attempts to look into this process of creating ‘places’ by Northeast out-migrants in Delhi. Data from censuses (1991–2011), along with primary data collected during a field survey in Delhi have been used for the analysis.

KEYWORDS:

• Migration
• place
• Northeast out-migrants
• neighbourhoods
• Delhi

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the respondents for doing interviews with us and helping us with this work. The authors were not given any financial support for this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In the subsequent discussion, the term ‘migrants’ will be used as a substitute for the collective term ‘NEI out-migrants’ to prevent repetitive usage. Nevertheless, in specific situation, the term ‘NEI migrants’ has been retained depending on the relevance of the context.

2. Cresswell, ‘Place: encountering geography as philosophy,’ 55.

3. Agnew, Space and Place inside Agnew, J. and Livingstone, D.

4. Clark and Drinkwater, ‘Enclaves, neighbourhood effects and employment outcomes: Ethnic minorities in England and Wales’

5. These 9 districts includes North West, North, North East, East, New Delhi, Central, West, South West and South Delhi.

6. Remesh, ‘Migration from North-East to Urban Centres: A Study of Delhi Region’; Remesh, ‘Migration and marginalisation: A study of North East migrants in Delhi.’; McDuie-Ra, ‘Northeast migrants in Delhi: Race, refuge and retail.’

7. The ‘Others’ category includes Buddhism and Sanamahism (one of the indigenous religions followed by Meitei community in Manipur). Among these two religious’ groups, the proportion of out-migrants following ‘Sanamahism’ was higher than that of Buddhists.

8. Per centage distribution of inter-state out-migration within the region=Total NEI inter-state out-migration within the region/Total NEI inter-state out-migration (out-migration within the region+ outside the region) *100.

9. Per centage distribution of inter-state out-migration outside the region=Total NEI inter-state out-migration outside the region/Total NEI inter-state out-migration (out-migration within the region+ outside the region) *100.

10. Per centage distribution of NEI out-migration to other parts of the country=Total out-migration from NEI to other parts of the country/Total migration × 100 Here, total migration includes out-migration from NEI to different parts of the country and in-migration in the region arriving from states outside the region.

11. In 1991, West Bengal was the most preferred destination, preferred by 33% followed by Uttar Pradesh (11%), Maharashtra (7%), Bihar (6%), Delhi (4%), and Karnataka (3%). In 2001, Bihar (35%) became the most preferred destination followed by West Bengal (24%), Uttar Pradesh (18%), Delhi (9%), Maharashtra (3%), and Karnataka (1%). Again, in 2011, West Bengal once again became the most preferred destination, chosen by 42% followed by Maharashtra (8%). However, destinations like Delhi, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh were similarly preferred by 7% each followed by only 3% for Bihar in 2011.

12. Kearns and Parkinson, ‘The significance of neighbourhood’

13. Galster, ‘On the nature of neighbourhood,’ 2111–2124; Jenks and Dempsey,‘Defining the neighbourhood: Challenges for empirical research,’ 153.

14. Barton, Sustainable communities: The potential for eco-neighbourhoods.

15. de Souza Briggs, ‘Moving up versus moving out: Neighborhood effects in housing mobility programs,’ 208; Jenks and Dempsey,‘Defining the neighbourhood: Challenges for empirical research,’ 207.

16. Barton, ‘Sustainable communities: The potential for eco-neighbourhoods,’ 21; Jenks and Dempsey,‘Defining the neighbourhood: Challenges for empirical research,’ 207.

17. Hallman, Neighborhoods: Their place in urban life.

18. ibid.

19. Jenks and Dempsey,‘Defining the neighbourhood: Challenges for empirical research,’ 207.

20. ‘How can neighbourhood be understood and define?’.

21. Friedmann,‘Place and place-making in cities: A global perspective,’272; McDuie-Ra, Northeast migrants in Delhi: Race, refuge and retail.

22. Greenwood,‘The influence of family and friends on geographic labor mobility in a less developed country: the case of India’

23. MacDonald and MacDonald,‘Chain migration ethnic neighborhood formation and social networks,’ 82–97.

24. de Haan & Yaqub, ‘Migration and poverty: Linkages, knowledge gaps and policy implications.’

25. Reimeingam,‘ Migration from North-Eastern region to Bangalore: Level and trend analysis,’; Reimeingam,‘Migration from North Eastern Region to Bangalore: Evidences from Census Data,’ 40–56

26. Remesh,‘Migration from North-East to Urban Centres: A Study of Delhi Region’

27. Greenwood,‘The influence of family and friends on geographic labor mobility in a less developed country: the case of India,’ 27–36

28. Reimeingam,‘ Migration from North-Eastern region to Bangalore: Level and trend analysis,’; Reimeingam,‘Migration from North Eastern Region to Bangalore: Evidences from Census Data,’ 40–56

29. Due to the lack of a universally agreed-upon definition, the term ‘locals’ is subjective and dependent on the specific research question. In this study, when referring to ‘locals,’ it pertains to individuals who have a historical, cultural, social, and political integration within a particular geographical area. These locals possess a deep-rooted sense of belonging to their community, including shared values, customs, traditions, and an active role in shaping the social dynamics and norms of their locality. Therefore, in this context, the term ‘local’ encompasses a complex combination of property owners and individuals who hold social, cultural, economic, and electoral significance within a specific geographical area.

30. McDuie-Ra, Northeast migrants in Delhi: Race, refuge and retail.

31. Certain indigenous herbs and vegetables are dried in order to preserve it for longer duration in Delhi. For instance, Decan hemp, common aroid and different form of chives are reported to be carried by migrants when they visit home in NEI.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Naorem Pushparani Chanu

Naorem Pushparani Chanu is research scholar at the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK) in West Bengal, India. She focuses on various aspects associated with labour and migration studies related to Northeast India.

Rabichandra Singh Elangbam

Rabichandra Singh Elangbam is an Assistant Professor at Navrachana University in Vadodara, India. He was formerly associated with the Department of Business Economics at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, India. His work centers around issues related to labour, unemployment and migration studies in Northeast India. He is the author of the book Economic Growth and Employment Linkages in Northeast India.