ABSTRACT
Migration of any nature is inextricably linked to memory of “home”; which in turn enables the reproduction of native practices in the new place. This chapter uses the analogy of “roots” and “routes” with that of “home” and “belonging” to elucidate upon the notion of attachment for the Marwari community that moved out of the north-western region of India towards the East. Arguing how the identity of Marwari community of Kolkata got constructed in context of their migration, an attempt has been made to connect the process of migration with the participants’ renewed understanding of their distinctive “self” from the “other”. The ethnographic narratives explore the ways in which the Marwaris as patrons of charity are used as a category for understanding the “self”– as a migrant or otherwise in the city. Thus, rendering the question of how long does a migrant view herself as the “migrant” important. A response to such a question unravels the conflictual meanings attached to the concept of belonging; and also outlines the shifts in the meanings of community life and the “self” over time. The chapter reflects on the mode of integration while simultaneously unpacking the dynamics of how a social niche is consciously created to sustain the native identity over generations and beyond the multiple strands of migration.
