Go South, Young Man

Drawn by development, north Indians continue to migrate to the southern states in vast numbers

- Salik Ahmad

ANURAG Chaturvedi describes himself as a modestly ambitious recluse with no major regrets in life. Born 38 years ago in a bank employee’s family in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, he’d wanted to become a pilot in the Indian Air Force ever since his worldview found its feet. He remained committed to his ambition and sat the armed forces recruitment exam when the opportunity arose. Providence, however, had different ideas about how Chaturvedi’s life was to be textured. The recruiters told him that their requirements and his capabilities did not sufficiently converge.

He was studying computer applications at a college in his hometown, and it was towards the end of 2004, when he was about to enter the final semester of the master’s programme—which required him to work on a project with a firm—that he fiddled with the idea of moving to Bangalore. He had apprehensions aplenty, and the thought of leaving home for a distant land, and alone at that, was fairly unnerving. “Acquaintances in Bangalore helped and encouraged me a lot. They told me there were plenty of job opportunities there,” says Chaturvedi.

After much deliberation, he moved to Bangalore, where he completed his pro­ject and subsequently got a job. Even while signing up for it, he thought that he’d stay for a year or two and then ulti­mately find a job in Delhi and relocate, driven by a desire to stay near his hometown and ageing par­ents. It’s been over 13 years now and Chaturvedi is yet to move back. If things go right, he’ll buy a house in Bangalore later this year. “The employment prospects are better here than in Delhi. Plus it’s safer—we read about gory crimes in the NCR every day. The weather is lovely throughout the year, there are good schools and colleges, and it’s quieter,” he says. His wife taught at such a school until recently.