Many bid adieu to Bengaluru

Job insecurity, stress and desire for a quieter life are why many youngsters don't want to return to the city

In June, soon after inter-state travel restrictions eased, David (name changed) travelled back to his hometown in Kerala with his wife. Six months down the line, they have decided on settling down there. “We always wanted to come down and settle here, but as a newly married couple in the city, we were hesitant to leave our comfort zone. It would have probably taken us a few years to make this move if not for the pandemic,” he says.

He is a chartered accountant working as a manager in an audit department but plans to set up a business soon. “If we stayed in Bengaluru, it would have been a logistical nightmare to set up something here. Now, with work from home, I can dedicate my weekends to this,” he explains.

While he would have preferred to live in Kanjirappally, the town where his family is based, they settled on Kochi as it was the more practical choice. “My wife is a stylist and designer. Initially, she was reluctant to make the shift, because it seems like you are downsizing your opportunities compared to what you would get in Bengaluru. But, after coming down, she feels differently,” he shares. The kind of contacts they have and a market that is not saturated with competition has opened up many avenues for her.

David is not alone in this choice. Thanks to the pandemic, many shifted back to their hometowns. Reasons were many — the freedom of working from home, mental and physical health concerns and most importantly, financial crunch. However, while many made the switch as short-term relief, over time, they have decided to not return to the city.

Mental health concerns

Sarah Babu Paul, who worked as an assistant professor at a college in the city, had planned to settle down here until the pandemic made life impossible for her. “My college didn’t pay my salary for three months. My anxiety was crippling and I began feeling extremely homesick. The pandemic, I think, was actually a sign for me to take a break from things and to slow things down,” she says. She packed up and left for Wayanad, Kerala in July. She since set up her own business, along with the support of her mother. She sells plants from her own garden via her Instagram page (@thetreecamp). She has also taken up a teaching job at a nearby college and got into a part-time PhD programme at CHRIST (Deemed to be University). “I feel like going home was meant to be,” she says. Her college mate, Merin Tomy, also left the city because the pandemic had taken a toll on her mental health. “I had resigned before the lockdown. I planned to stay here and find a better one, but Covid-19 stabbed me in the back,” she says. The situation also caused her parents to worry. “Now my parents are not keen on sending me back. I do feel trapped here sometimes, but it’s better than my parents calling me 10 times a day. I might come back in a couple of years, but for now, I am looking for a job here,” she explains.

Slow life

For Deena Kamellin, senior resident dental surgeon, moved down to Nagercoil, Kanyakumari after the lockdown. “Initially, clinics were shut for two weeks which seemed like a nice break. But, eventually when the number of cases rose to stay in the city didn’t seem worth the risk,” she says. She was also motivated by the high cost of living. “With house owners not compromising on rents and scarcity of essentials, staying back in my hometown felt like a safer option,” she says. The expense of raising a family in the city, the monotony of life, and the hours one spends in commute makes returning an undesirable option for her.

However, many others who have chosen to stay, have been motivated by the need to leave corporate life behind. Dency Mathew, who used to work as a quality auditor with Myntra says that she always hoped to return home, but leaving a comfortable job wasn’t an easy decision.

At the moment she is working as a freelance content writer and is charting a plan for a business. “Personally, Bengaluru never felt like home. I was a fan of city life when I was younger. But, now I can’t stand the dust, crowd and the constant noise,” she explains.

Who’s city is it?

The option to shift home permanently, however, may be a choice that’s available to the more financially sound sections.

Dr Neethi P, faculty, IIHS, points out that many migrant workers too went back in large numbers during the pandemic. “The system is so poor that we have no proper records of worker groups. How many are there, what sector are they working in, what category do they fall under? If you can’t answer those questions, how can you ensure quality of work for them?” she asks. This lack of records made it impossible for many to avail welfare benefits.

The kind of disadvantage the city felt due to their leaving, she says, is indicated by the desperation with which contractors and builders in the city tried to prevent their leaving and pushed for their return. “Without them, the city comes to a standstill,” she adds.

However, the workers who came to the city left their villages in the first place because of the socio-economic disadvantages at home.

States such as Bihar and UP, which have high numbers of migrant workers, saw many being forced to sell their assets such as land and even cattle. “No income leads to an increase in debt. With people returning home, there is an increase in the number of mouths to feed and hence, the pressure on the land,” she says.

Eventually, with the lack of availability of skilled jobs in the villages and the fear of losing the jobs by virtue of working in the informal sector, eventually they will return to the city, she explains.