"people have become more hostile towards migrants"

When I spoke to Mr. Wasim on the phone, I had a very exclusive and individualistic interaction with him. He moved to Bangalore in 1997 and was therefore, able to express to me, in his opinion, how the patterns of migration and the way in which migrants are treated have been changing significantly over the years. I got a personal and honest opinion on his life in Bangalore which added value and intrigue to my interaction with him.

You said you moved to Bangalore twenty one years ago, what led you to relocate here when you were so young?

I am originally from Srinagar in Kashmir, and when I decided to come here, there was a lot of fighting going on. There were riots, chaos and the city was in utter pandemonium, there was no peace at all. Apart from this, Bangalore was known as the "city of opportunities" and the "city of color." It had remarkable educational facilities and so, it was the perfect place for me to move to.

When you first arrived here, what difficulties did you face?

The language is one of the things I was not comfortable with. I didn't know English, neither did I speak any South Indian languages, so I struggled in terms of communication with the locals when I had to go about day-to-day tasks. Secondly, the food was very alien to me. I had never eaten South indian food before and although, I got used to it after a while, it was very hard for me to adjust to it. Moreover, Bangalore is very very pricey. It is so much more expensive in comparison to Srinagar, and this is one thing that appalled me when I shifted here. But overall, the most challenging aspect was the fact that I was in a totally different atmosphere, where people had a different way of living, one that I was not accustomed to. I come from a valley, with many mountains and I was used to living in extreme cold conditions. Because of this, the first few months were very intense and arduous.

What have your experiences in Bangalore been like? If you had a choice to move back home to Srinagar, would you consider it?

My journey here has had some ups and downs, some highs and lows but I can confidently say that this city has become sort of like a home to me in the past twenty one years. Srinagar and Bangalore are two very different cities and cannot be compared, but I definitely do not regret moving here. I am getting a better business and wage here which I do not think would have been possible back in Kashmir. Of course, I do miss certain things but again, the two cities are very different as I said before.

What are some of the best memories you have of Srinagar? What are some things you were able to do in Srinagar, but cannot do now?

The food. Definitely. Kashmir has the best, world-class apples and almonds that one would never find elsewhere. The pork too, is something I miss immeasurably. Also the lifestyle here is very urbanized, life in Srinagar was very natural, authentic and raw. I miss the village life. Additionally, I miss the snow. I used to be a good skier and I cannot have the same experiences now.

Were you ever mistreated or publicly harassed for not being from here?

Yes, on many occasions. I have been told many a time, "you are not from here, do not mess with us." I'll share with you one such occurrence. On the 24th of August, 2001, I was dropping a few friends home after dinner and was about to leave and head home when I was approached by some locals. They ran at me and started abusing me and hitting me and they started screaming. They took my helmet and many of my belongings. This kept going on for a while until one of them took out a knife and cut deep into my right arm. I still have the stitches. People have become more and more hostile towards migrants in Bangalore, I find that people are constantly changing and it is becoming more and more difficult for migrants to adapt to new surroundings.

Thank you, Mr.Wasim.

After living in Bangalore for almost twenty-one years, Mr. Wasim has had an experience of highs and lows, ups and downs. His life in this metropolitan city, in his own words, has been a "roller coaster." Something I took away from this meaningful interaction was the fact that migrants sacrifice a great part of their lives to do what is best for them and their families, even if that means relocating halfway across the country. We often disregard the fact that migrants don't have it easy at all. They not only part with their families but also with the food they are used to, the climate they grew up with and also the culture and lifestyle that they were brought up with. In spite of this, they are, unfortunately, mistreated and constantly discriminated against for not being from here. To my mind, they deserve a little more appreciation and hospitality and I hope that they ways in which they are treated change slowly. Today, Mr. Wasim is in the business of foreign exchange where he reimburses IT products.

Mr. Wasim, from Srinagar, Kashmir moved to Bangalore in 1997