Pune: This festive season, several migrant workers from Bihar earning a living in the city will head home forever — jobless under the cascading effect of drought in Maharashtra.A heavy rush of home-bound workers at Pune Junction station before Diwali and Chhath is common. What’s out of syllabus this time is the anxiety among migrant workers instead of the festive joy. The “out-of-job” remorse is unmistakable. But none curses former employers replacing them with drought-hit relatives and friends. Rational “jobless” migrant workers do understand the “crisis”.Dinu Kumar (40), hailing from Supaul district in Bihar, stands in a serpentine queue on platform number 1 after losing his job at an automobile repair shop in Nigdi. “I have been fixing tyres for the past two years. Hum ab nahi aayenge (I will not come back now),” he says.“My employer recently hired three men from Beed — relatives of one of his acquaintances. He told me that they were farm workers. They lost their livelihoods because of drought. My employer could not turn them away. I tried explaining that I had the necessary experience, but he did not change his decision. Aab agle saal Dilli jayenge, ya phir Mumbai (Next year, I will go to Delhi or Mumbai),” Dinu says, without disclosing if he was compensated for the job loss.Drought-hit farm workers are increasingly moving to cities in search of work. Some of them are being hired as replacements for migrant workers from other states keen to go home during festival time.Giridhar Paswan (46) from Madhubani district becomes anxious at the sight of RPF personnel, some accompanied by sniffer dogs, patrolling the crowded platform. “Why do they think we are criminals? We are hardworking men,” he quips.Giridhar says, “I worked as an eatery waiter and security guard in Pimpri for a year. My manager told me not to report for work until July next year, citing the need to accommodate a relative affected by drought. He said he would call me when things improved. But how can I wait that long?”He says, “Bihar ke log himmat nahi haarte (People from Bihar do not lose courage). I will venture out again and find work somewhere.”Hundreds wait anxiously in the holding area of Pune Junction station as Azad Hind Express chugs into platform 1 around 7.40pm on Thursday. Rakesh Mahto (35), a resident of Jehanabad district in Bihar, wants to board the train to Kolkata after losing his security guard’s job at a commercial complex in Hadapsar.“I worked there for over two years before being removed last month without an explanation. I later learnt that someone from Nanded was hired in my place. Diwali and Chhath will mean little unless I have a job. A friend has promised to help me find work in Kolkata, so I am heading there,” he says.Why not Bihar? “Bihar mein abhi bhi bahaar hai (job scenario hasn’t changed there yet),” Rakesh quips.The jobless migrant workers’ absence of anger towards former employers springs a surprise. “Circumstances forced their decisions. Better opportunities will come our way,” says Rakesh.The holding area remains stiflingly humid despite several ceiling fans. RPF personnel pull up a large group of passengers for attempting to break the queue. Hira Singh (43), a mason from Katihar district, tries to explain to an officer that he had mistaken the platform of Pune-Supaul Express.“Kaam se nikal diya hai toh kya kare (What can I do if I have been removed from work)? I had been working as a mason for three years. I am going home because my elderly mother’s last wish is to celebrate Chhath with me. Kaam humko mil jayega kahi bhi (I will get work somewhere),” Hira says.Not all at the station will head home for good. Ravi Kumar (25) from Vaishali district in Bihar, a security guard at a housing society in Koregaon Park, says, “I just want to spend some quality time with my family. I might even get married this time.”Ravi’s companions in the queue break into laughter.
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