Genealogy of Migration: The Study of Migration Process

Keshav Prajapati (Manav)
Master of Philosophy, Tribhuvan University

Migration affects the future of new generation from the migrated family. They happen to adopt lifestyle and culture of the migrated area in order to be the fittest survival and that becomes the cause that migration is always in flux or in process. People do migration due to various reasons. They migrate from one place to another for the purpose of security, facility, education, business and other opportunities. For instance, Narahari Shrestha migrated from hilly area of Sindhuli to plain area – Bardibas, Mahottari – for the comfortable life in his old age. According to him, his forefathers used to be Chandi, a religious scripture, reading devotees at Krishna temple of Patan, Lalitapur. That’s why, they were surnamed as ‘Chandi’. He revealed all the details in the family genealogy how his forefathers’ migration took place and he has become the inhabitant of Bardibas, Mahottari. Firstly his forefathers migrated to Sanga, Bhaktapur. The family genealogy starts from the very place. It was the time of Rana regime, his ancestor named Bin Narayan Chandi was deployed to Phulpa village-6 of Pakhribas, Ramechhap as the tax collector by the the then Rana government. As he could not collect enough tax, he did not return to Kathmandu being afraid of the severe punishment of the Rana rulers. Then his forefather migrated and went across Koshi River. His father Chet Narayan Shrestha moved to settle at Phoksing of Sindhuli where Narahari along with all his siblings were born. Then Chet Narayan’s family migrated different parts of Sindhuli. Then the family of Narahari Shrestha arrived at Bardibas in 2003. People from new generation are attracted towards Kathmandu Valley. That is why, most of them are inhabiting in Kathmandu valley. Here, the migration has created the circular motion. The contrast is that, they are completely ignorant about their root and Newari culture. It is because of the generation long gap and influence of the local culture and rituals upon them. However, there exists some common factors between migrated and inhabiting people in valley – both of them remained and called ‘Newar’, and try to live the community lives by forming Guthi. Moreover, migrated Newars have been using the title either shrestha mostly. Similarly the Guthis of Kathmandu valley are more ritualistic, whereas the Guthis formed by the migrated Newars are oriented more for the security. Narahari Shrestha states that other fractions of his forefathers are expanded different areas like Bhaktapur, different parts of Ramechhap, different parts of Sindhuli, Mahotari and other different parts. This paper attempts to reveal all the aspects of migration of the Chandi genealogy.

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