ABSTRACT
With the help of a series of recently conducted ethnographies, this chapter traces the transformation of Siliguri (North Bengal) from a city of migrants to a transit town. Immigrants have kept pouring into the area since the establishment of the tea gardens in the late 19th century, and the original inhabitants are constantly being pushed out of the city. As it expands, the adjoining tea gardens are fast being converted into real estate, and the rapid changes in the urban landscape are impacting both capital and labour and their respective ethnic configurations. With its recent insertion into the global political economy, the city has become a part of a mobile transnational network triggering a significant churning of population.
