Field Work Report

Dissertation Topic : MIGRATION FROM BIHAR – Factors,

challenges and experience of different groups.

Submitted by, Supervisor,

Ankit Rana Dr. Chitrasen Bhue
G2019lssp016 T.I.S.S- Guwahati
LSSP – M.A 2019-21
TISS- Guwahati.

• INTRODUCTION
As part of curriculum for the accomplishment of Master’s degree in social science, the students
have to write dissertation. The main aim of the dissertation is to produce an original work of
research work on a strictly delineated topic, with the goal of understanding the factors behind
migration, the socioeconomic status of the migrant people, the challenges faced by the migrants
in their place of destination, and the reasons for preferring the destination place.

The main focus areas of the research study is Bhagalpur, Purnia, Saharsa, and Siwan since
the majority of houses contain migrant inhabitants, with more than half of the homes exposed to
migration. And the main reason I picked these districts was because they were near to my house
and made it easy for me to engage with the locals. The sample I gathered as my responder using
convenience, purposeful, and snowball sampling. I employed three methods for sampling since
the participants I picked were contingent on their availability and desire to participate in my
interactions, and my judgement was also present when deciding who to invite to join.
Furthermore, the sampling is carried out by picking friends and acquaintances of people who
have already been investigated/participated. There were too many complications during the field
study because I utilized face-to-face data collection as an in-depth interview, and I utilized
mostly verbal method of engagement, either face-to-face or over the phone (who returned to the
same location after the relaxation in the lockdown). These approaches were used to investigate
and describe the experience and causes for migration from Bihar, with a focus on socioeconomic
position and some of the challenges that accompany it.

I visited the field areas in January, but the conditions for interviewing were difficult due
to the pandemic, with respondents refusing to talk to strangers and keeping social distance. The
following themes will be extensively discussed in the field work report.

• Ground Report -
The field visit for the dissertation began from Bhagalpur because of the ease with which
respondents were contacted, even after the announcement for the lockdown. But because the
situation was so dire as a result of migration, I merely walked to them, appropriately covered, but
maintaining social distance. I went to the several locations where I could find respondents,
explained the aim of the interview, and conducted the interview. Due to the travel restrictions, I
travelled five to six times in three weeks. While conducting my study, I also learnt about their
culture, the issues they experienced, the reasons for their movement, and the reasons they
preferred the final location.

During my face-to-face interviews with construction workers in the semi-rural districts of

Bhagalpur and Saharsa, the participants were fairly clear in their responses to my questions on
the reasons for their migration and why they choose the specific/particular destination. At the
very same time, they were unclear and gave unsatisfactory answers to questions about the
barriers they experience at their destination, the social security they have access to, and if they
will return when the prior condition for their migration has been met. The same questions that
the construction workers did not clearly answer were answered clearly by businesspeople and
those working in overseas after having prior job experience in India, as the reason for the
obvious response was that they previously intended to migrate before migrating to their
destination.
 During the sample collection, I preferred to use random sampling, but as the process
progressed, I felt it necessary to use the snowball sampling methodology because many of the
respondents I received were recommended by someone. In the process to explore something
different and fascinating, and also to examine some minute factors that are causing migration
from Bihar, the districts where I did my field work for the dissertation, was tough due to the
communication to the particular districts, as the months when I did the study was covered with
the lockdown and with many restrictions. Even the respondents (sample), which I anticipated to
have more than what I really had, were due to the constraints I had during the research study.
There were some limitations that I encountered during the field study, such as not interviewing
some of my respondents because they were afraid of the covid-19 pandemic and were not
prepared for face-to-face interaction, and many migrant workers event left to their same
destination place (other state and not international migration at the time), due to a certain
relaxation during the pandemic time. Some businesspeople and students also departed the local
location, with whom I was scheduled to contact earlier in the process, but I completed the
interview over the phone and through a digital platform. Even before I asked any questions, a
few respondents came up with a bunch of inquiries about our personal and professional life, and
even after that, some people mistaken the research for a government survey and attempted to
conceal their assets. Furthermore, owing to train limitations, I had to deal with a lot of traffic on
the buses, which were my only form of transportation to those places.
Other issues I encountered during the selection of my respondents were from the
government's assistance to all of the impoverished individuals in my chosen location of research,
which drew a large number of individuals. After my interview, I learned that one member of a
family in Purnia's Kamraili district had just recovered from the Covid-19 virus, which left me
completely frightened, and the fact was that the entire area was on the verge of being a
pandemic.

Finally, I ended as a student i.e., research worker at T.I.S.S. Many scholars agree that
research study in field regions is a very flexible experience to have. One of my favourite aspects
of social work research is the variety of regions and individuals you may serve. I was never
bored during my research and study since there was always a fresh chance to investigate
different parts of the topic, from lockdown restrictions to relying on secondary data due to
pandemic.
Finally, this research study was an excellent choice for completing my postgraduate degree,
also particularly for students wishing to pursue doctoral degrees in the future. This struck me as a
significant learning curve in research; it is both demanding and intellectually fascinating. And,
more crucially, you remain anchored in the field/ground realities and communities with whom
you wish to engage, whether in your close surroundings or otherwise.

THANKS