White-collar, blue-collar, no-collar: Discovery of a working class Modi’s India forgot 

"They are searching for an aspirational life" Thank you for changing my opinion about migrants inside india

You are right SG, i'm also a product of this. 23yrs ago my father also had a dream like this, he left his native town bihar just for a better future , he has been one of those factory labourers. Today i'm an engineer working for an MNC and this video took me to a journey of my life.yes this all can be changed. PLEASE MAKE COLLARLESS INDIA IT'S FACE

This is the news I live for

Great episode Shekar ji. This brought tears to my eyes. To draw parallels between the "balcony" class, as you call us, and the migrant labourers was beautiful. I had never seen it that way. I had no theory of mind as to why their aspirations are so similar to my own.

Migrant worker crisis have revealed some observations: 1. India's un-organised sector is basically very fragile. 'Strong Economic Fundamentals' phrase used by Chidambaram to Jaitely to current Chief Economic Advisor is basically a sham. 2. Villages in India do not produce high paying jobs. Cities have greater economic oppotunities although greatly in un-organised sector. 3. Politicians' fascination with village economy highlights that political class derives its power from poor and since you derive power from poor you have to keep them poor. 4. India is not building any new cities, atleast, not at a faster pace than what it is being done today. 5. India has skipped industrialisation which has potential to create many organised jobs. 6. There is a great divide in India between poorer states in North India like U.P.-Bihar and prosperous states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and other southern states effectively highlighting the collective failure of generations of political elites who literally used poor for votes.

Best national interest episode in recent months!!excellent sir

Great level of compassion and articulation for these times.

"Collarless" very well defined and explained. Kudos to SG.

Guptaji, most of them are distressed farmers, who has changed their profession from farming to construction and factory worker

Many thanks for all your analysis and detailing Shekhar ji. A very important thing I notice, is that all the unfortunate migrants on their daring journeys, have shown tremendous honesty and confidence in God and themselves. They have not resorted to looting and arson in cities. They have not tried to snatch from the middle and upper classes. Like true calling of Karma , they have decided to fight the suffering till the end. My confidence and admiration for the simple underprivileged has increased tremendously. God be with us all.

Best National Interest so far. Theprint is in a class of its own.

Sir, I,'ve followed you for over 20 years. I have always appreciated your objectivity and the level-headedness. To tell you frankly, I had developed a kind of distance from you of late, because of your preoccupation with the middle-class-priorities, which has become the predominant 'national interest'. (Notwithstanding the fact that you have not hidden your philosophical moorings.) So thank you for this latest edition. It is not just the political class that has forgotten the under-privileged. I believe that more resounding was the convenient amnesia of the mainstream media.

Such a different point of view. I have been following 'The Print' for the same since its inception. Thank you Shekhar Ji!

You are absolutely right!👍👍😢

You have hit the nail on the head, Shekhar sir. Even before this whole pandemic started, I have often thought why I left my 3bhk in Bangalore and now live in a 1bhk in UK. NRIs are most certainly, as you described, equivalent to the migrant class in India, just that we cannot walk back home even if we want to. And Every single time NRIs return home, everyone around wants a share in the pie. In fact, just this morning I was mentioning this to my mother on our daily phone call. If no other good has come out of this pandemic, at least it has exposed this deep shame of India both within our country and outside. What good is so called nationalism if within IT companies colleagues would kill to be in the good books of their managers for an opportunity to get a visa and then rejoice when their currency is becoming weaker. When visas are rejected, we are told that, to live in the US is a previledge and not a right. But is it not a basic human right, to at least attempt to realise one’s calling in life? And everyday we are here, we are reminded of this privilege, not by foreigners, but by our own fellow GC Indians.

The last few minutes nailed it. A lot was there between the lines. Tons of RESPECT for bringing it out so naked yet veiling it enough.

Grand analysis of our non collar, hard working class (Aththi workforce) by S. Gupta. Most adversly effected due to Covid19 lock down. Their plight for not getting basic transport requirements, back home is the cruelest act. Indeed a sorry affair.

Successful in transferring my support amount, please remind every now and then because sometimes people tend to forget although it is our responsibility 👍

Thanks for speaking in favour of these voiceless people. A much awaited column from you sir.

The middle classes don’t treat the working class well anyway. They are shouted, screamed, insulted unappreciated. Let the middle class clean their own homes, cars and cook their own food.

More than 70% of children were born in rural India according to 2011 census... So the thing which Guptaji said about living a good life seems pretty correct as these kids are the future of Real India and if these people prosper they will make India great

Very thought provoking. Govt. should surely take note and do something.

Dear Shekar Gupta Ji, I think you have understood the reality well. Fantastic presentation. We all seek GC, English Education for Children and they all went back only to come back soon. I wish Modi Ji sees this.

Shouldn't this job have been taken care by the local elected representative. MP MLAs and CM

For the very first time, I found myself connected with Mr. Gupta's theory.

If NPR or Census would have been conducted, government would have been in a better place about knowing such migration.

Waited for your sir to address this issue it has been a long while and I thought either you have forgot or ignored this issue. Thank you

A very intelligent depiction of overall Indian poor/middle-class/rich labor migration within India or abroad. It hits right to your CORE. Fired up, Enlightened and empathetic.

u spoke with heart. i just had argument with my father on this topic. some people have just got numb to the pain of these people.

'..grand, mass humiliation of hard working Indians..'

In kerala guest labourers make 1200 a day. My first job in a BPO earned me about 400 a day(12000 per month). Edit:Myself went to gulf for better oppurtunity and now run hotel and housing business with these migrants in kerala.

Thank you Shekhar ji for bringing this prospective.. hope we get the message and learn to respect people working around us..

PEOPLE in india study just to settle in the USA and UK. I am a critical care physician with one of the top hospitals of this country probably after this covid 19 is over I would migrate over to a country with minimum population. I want my kids to be safe.

This is the best articulation of such an important but ignored class of people and their problem. It exposes the soft belly of our society. Unfortunately, the middle class of India, belonged to more or less same class a generation ago, are privileged now have become too self-centric and insensitive to demand accountability from governments.Thanks Mr. Gupta for your wonderful work.

One of the most awesome National Interests I have seen. I was arguing with my friends that these migrant workers are not that poor (I am not saying they are middle class, but nearly everyone has a smart phone and a Jio connection) they do earn good money and save max for their children , I am an entrepreneur and have dealt with security guards, dumper drivers, etc the so called collarless class, and yeah they come to city as they aspire for more money and nearly every one of them has some family member back in village working in a farm. I do have one point to add, salary is only one point why they started going back even when govt had organised food for them. But the fact is they eat good food generally in their mess. And when the govt provided them with basic food , they got angry and their ego got hurt. Everyone including the government and Journalists failed to understand them and it resulted in such a crisis.

So wonderfully explained, thank you MR Shekhar Gupta.

Exactly. Glad somebody spoke on it

The best national interest episode ever sir! Journalism worth paying!!

*STATESman and SALESman.* There's a great difference between the two. *70 saal mey jo nahin hua, **_Hindu Hridaya samrat ney 05 saal met kar ikhaya._*

What about women workers? They wear no collars and cannot strip down either... disappointed to see you see workers as men only.....

*"I don't eat a lot of onions and garlic, so don't worry, I come from a family that doesn't care much for onions"* Nirmala Sitharaman. There is no migrant workers in my family & during a national crisis me or my family doesn't walk on roads, so I can't feel the sufferings of *migrant workers.* ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fOPEaZfHiMs.html

Small tip: Sir, The camera is not focused on ur face right.

What SG explained today about india's people's inspiration is that lead indians to achieve many things globally, this is the real india we all live....great episode keep it up...

Thanks for throwing light on this

Great episode Sir.. From achche din aane waale hain..... to Make in India... to Skill India... to Start Up India.... To Black Money ... To 15 lakhs ... To Atmanirbhar.... To Being employed meaning selling Pakodas...we have seriously come a long way...

Shakherji, Keep up the good work.It is so easy for us to overlook these collarless,but hard working people trapped by their circumstances.You are humanising them.It is a great public service.Thank you. S.Kala Jaipur.Cheers for a free press and for democracy.

Fantastic article with a human face.Very well presented and I hope the people who matter take note of it and particularly the TV channels should watch it for a change .

Kudos to Mr. Gupta you have peaked in the Indian journalism. Today's National Interest was eye opening, insightful and full of pure knowledge.

Can we have a series in which along with discussing the problem, we can also look for possible solutions to these problems and discuss the solutions elaborately with experts?

Very true. Aspirational, indeed!! You said it!!! My cook in Chennai from Madhubhani in Bihar had originally before covid planned to go back for a month in May for big plans he had made: To sell the piece of land in Madhubhani he had bought earlier with earnings he had made through his work in Chennai. And he was planning to buy a better land in Noida with the sold amount and adding some more to it !! Thankfully, he did not have to walk back or anything even though he was not coming for work. Like me I think he could get paid from houses he was working in. Similarly , a friend of mine owning a boutique with tailors from bengal said the same. He said they come here not because they don't have a job there; they do but it is better here. What do you think, SG? Will the migrants come back to the city ever? Or will they continue to live in their native?

Today is truly a historical day. After years of research from the times of independence, the liberal media today discovered that most Indian workers don't have a collar. Remarkable achievement! But surely part of the award money should go to corona virus

This is really painful sir. I really like your National Interest.

"Self actualization" is the word for it.

The biggest loss in this crisis was for the "ambitious class" who had ambitions and migrated from tier 3 and tier 2 cities to tier1 cities for the search of better life. @shekhar you have done very good analysis.

GC saves money in matrimonial ads. Classic SG.

We should be ashamed the way our elected goverment is treating hardworking labours , True this kind humiliation of the most hardworking people is unprecedented and unacceptable , it's a Global Shame for us.

I have seen almost all national interest but this thing stands out. it changed the perception of migrants and everything is true coz I studied in city but I am from rural India. Gupta ji nailed it .states and centre should come with quality affordable education in English medium.

This is why I follow The Print. Continue with your eye- opening journalism.

Migration due to caste oppression in villages...

You are a good caring man. A rare find in today’s media.

A spoonful of humor, a pinch of wittiness and a cup of ornamental words all in fresh facts make this one of the best nutritional dish of mind across India.

Such unplanned nonsense. If they had any shame then Modiji and AmithShah would have long ago resigned 😑.

The words used are so powerful and at same time respectful for fellow Indians.

This is very sad. We need to reach out to them. We need to have a massive data collection drive so that we can capture those collar-less workers and send help whenever needed.

Mr Gupta, after a very very long time your feet are on the ground.

The last few sentences!

The closing comment was a telling one. Your team and you are doing a stellar job. Always a fan!

Very strong points and very well said sir. I watched both Hindi and English version of today’s national interest. Migrant workers.... in 21st century india , they still face problems of 18th century ... it was never about money or food. It was and it is all about an aspiration for better and beautiful life for their children and family members. But how has the urban middle class , rich class and educated class has treated the Over the decades ??? Well , everyone know it. They face racism , discrimination, untouchability in the cities. They are provided poor working conditions. They are not given proper training and education. They live in disgusting places with no proper arrangements of clean water and 24*7 electricity. Their children go to govt schools where education is of poor quality. They have to go to poor govt hospitals and they die just like as they never mattered to this country and the government... they come and go in numbers and they die like they were never born in this earth. This is the bitter truth. I am talking about the self respect. We never treat them like normal human beings who have emotions. We talk to them in abusive manner. We never give them the credit for their work. We take them and poor people and then try to sympathise with them instead of giving them their rights and treat them with equality. This is india. We call it God’s own country . And this is how we treat our hard working people without collar who do all kind of filthy and disgusting work which educated class would never dare to do themselves.

Very strong arguments, migrants were totally forgotten

What an awesome topic to discuss. It’s a shame that we missed these collarless citizens from the plan. One hopes it remains on the nation’s conscience and never lost sight of again. They add tremendous value to our urban life. They deserve better.

Super information sir Thanks

Last few lines were amazing

Perfect Mr. Gupta... So well put.

Balcony Class..... Collar Less Some new words have come to light which shake our conscience. Keep going. 👍

Best national interest so far. Thanks a lot from deep down of my heart for making this video.

It is not merely the 'division of labour' but 'division of labourers' based upon graded inequality."

If they work as hard work within and for india, India will be a better place

Excellent analysis Shekhar sir...really informative...thanks

The great indian dream- i am a product of it. My father worked literally worked himself to death, sending three of us to english medium school. Died when i was working at Microsoft in India. My mother worked herself hard too, running a shop and raising us. Now she lives with my sister and i lived thousands of miles away in NYC. Tragic sacrifices that are still continuing so that we can live poverty behind permanently. sometimes i feel so sad for the hard life my parents had to endure.

This episode is pure gold.

Excellent content, very articulate and a great example from a seasoned person on how to address difficult topics with elan. Thank you Mr Gupta.

BJP should rename to - Balcony Jumla Party

A topic which is very important to understand even more deeply and find a useful solution.

I don't know how I should feel anymore.

Very correctly and appropriately explained and wonder how these simple facts escaped the notice of the policy makers

Aspirational. Indian. very well remarked

When the diagnosis is incorrect, then remedy will be disaster. Very rightly said

He has not forgotten.. this is the class of Indian who would pay for all the relief packages. If this class also receive benefits of relief then who would pay.

I agree that this section of the society should have been helped by the government of the day. This is a good example for bad management of human resources. Legacy of our political class!

Wow!! Thank you for the new insights u always share👏👍

Collar less workers and my children should better than me . . very true. It is up to the press to see that these workers are not forgotten and are organised so that they do not suffer next time such a calamity occurs. You also brought up the issue of good education for these workers. Please keep these issues alive.

Mind opening thought Shekhar sir...

I'm still asking and waiting when the print is going to cover ground reporting in West Bengal and Maharashtra 🙄 Maybe it's not your agenda 🤔

"Collarless Indian labourers" is an appropriate phrase. Moreover the point you made that " Modi's bureaucracy failed to understand that they existed" is laconic but perfect expression for the inability of the government to work strategically.

Thank you Shekharji. I believe most of us Indians who r from either middle class or above strata of society missed this perspective. Hope and pray that normalcy returns ASAP so that each and every one of us gets to do what he aspires for. Amazing episode

That's true , no footwear is designed to walk 1000 kms in full stretch. And no suitcase wheels are designed to be pulled 1000 kms with a child clinging to it.

After 36 days government realized Neta Abhineta Media and intellectuals failed Dying children women on road Failed to address reaction This is Bharat Mahan .

Food price doesn't go up and when it goes up government suppress it by importing more from foreign. Working in factory and daily wedge labour is more stable than farming with debt and govt intervention in price.

A blue collar worker is a person who performs manual labour, skilled or unskilled. Your migrant labour comprises both kinds of blue collar workers. You're perhaps trying to differentiate between the organised and unorganised sectors. A construction worker in Bengaluru earns Rs 500 a shift whereas back home in Bengal or Bihar they get Rs 100. Huge difference.

Nice analogy. Ironically many students and H1B workers are going back as well since they did not get or lost their jobs due to lock down.