ABSTRACT
During the colonial period Calcutta was the most important destination point for migrants from where they were shipped overseas. Today Punjab has emerged as the single largest destination point of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. There are many remote villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that saw the migration of able-bodied men to foreign lands during the colonial period. This tradition is still continuing, and even today migration of males from villages of this region to other places inside India is the rule rather than the exception. This chapter documents the life stories of women like Geeta Nishad, Anara, Savitri Devi, Rita and Indrawati of the aforementioned villages whose husbands are away in pardes. It also documents the pain and suffering of the men of these villages who have migrated to other cities for a living and left their near and dear ones behind.
