Young tribals swarm Diamond City for jobs

SURAT: Ramesh Chaudhary, 28, is a tribal hailing from a non-descript Sarbhon village in Bardoli taluka. He did not want to work in the farm or rear cattle like his father. He migrated to Surat in search of job and today he works in a shopping mall and earns Rs 10,000 every month. In just three years, he has been able to renovate his house in the village. Every year just before monsoon, Ramesh visits his village to help his father in the farm.
Like Ramesh, retail, service and hospitality sectors in the diamond city employ over 15,000 tribal youths including girls and boys from the interior villages of Tapi, Dangs and Valsad districts. These tribal youths stay together in the small rented rooms near to their working places, especially in Piplod and Umara, and contribute to the well-being of their families back home. Krishna Gamit, a 24-year-old tribal girl from Vyara’s Pipalvada village is working in a reputed pizza store. She migrated to the city two years ago to help her family financially. “I have two younger siblings at home, my father and mother are working as farm workers. Now, I am able to take care of the educational expenses my two siblings.”
Another girl, Niru Gamit (26) from Tichatia village in Vyara is working as a cashier in a shopping mall. She says, “There are around 10 tribal girl from my village working in the city. We all stay together in a chawl in Umara and share the monthly rent, which comes to around Rs 500.” Amrat Ghoya, 27, from Sahuda village in Kaprada has done well in last three years and is now planning to get married. “I have become a team leader in just three years of my joining this shopping mall. I earn Rs 15,000 per month with all the benefits, perks and incentive. After few years, I am planning to get married.” said Amrat. Researchers see this migration of youngsters from tribal areas to city as a new phenomenon.
Satyakam Joshi, director, Centre for Social Studies (CSS) told TOI, “This calls for an in-depth research on the changing tribal society in South Gujarat.” According to Joshi, most of the tribal families have become nuclear. There was a time when a man used to own 15 bighas of land.