Migrant workers turning out to be prospective bridegrooms in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Odisha native Rajendra Naik, who has been working in the plywood industry at Perumbavoor near Kochi in Kerala since 2001, felt as if his Malayali neighbor was ridiculing when he came with a marriage proposal for a girl from their family in 2009.

"Now I am living happily with my wife Rajani, who is from Thiruvananthapuram, and we have two daughters, Sivani and Sivaditya. Our marriage took place in a temple in Thiruvananthapuram and my family members and close relatives attended," Naik told DH.

Naik's is not a one off case and many persons who come down to Kerala as migrant workers are turning out to be prospective bridegrooms. Indeed, they are becoming a blessing for many women from financially weak families who cannot afford dowry, a system that is still prevalent in Kerala.

According to the National Migrant Workers Union (NMWU) affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress, at least 72 migrant workers have married Malayali girls through arranged marriages in recent times.

NMWU general secretary Binu Bose said that mostly migrant workers from places like Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were becoming bridegrooms in Kerala.

Most migrant workers from West Bengal are involved in agricultural activities in their native places too and hence they frequently visit their native places and often find brides there.

Migrant workers are also witnessing socio-economic mobility in Kerala, with many becoming employers.

"Many migrant workers are now running eateries, shops and even farming activities in Kerala and are providing employment to many," said Benoy Petre, executive director of the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development, a NGO working among the migrant workers

NMWU, which was formally launched in 2010, as well as many NGOs, are also supporting migrant workers in sending their children to schools.

Bose said that NMWU's frequent interventions also helped in making the wages of migrant workers almost at par with that of local workers. "There are many highly skilled migrant workers who are now earning higher wages than Malayali workers," said Bose.

NMWU is organising a national workshop on January 24 and 25 at Kottayam in Kerala to discuss various issues faced by migrants.