Dynamics and Transformation of Nepali Migration: A Study of Sonitpur and Tinsukia Districts of Assam

Abstract

Migration is an ancient global flow contributing to economic development, and over the ages its form and impetus have changed significantly. Migration has attracted much attention in recent studies as it has shaped human civilization all across the world. Although migration has been reasoned for political, economic, and various other conflicts, it is important to understand the dynamics of population change in the form of migration for resolving ethnic, religious and military conflicts across the globe. Nepali settlers of Assam were originally a migratory community from Nepal, which is a small independent Hindu Kingdom in the Himalayan range of mountains. The flow of migrants from Nepal to India is embedded in the dynamics of history, polity, sociological, and economic factors. The study makes an attempt to understand the Nepali migration from it's historical perspective and at the same time comprehend the mechanism in the recent past in its transformative character, particularly in the Sonitpur and Tinsukia districts of Assam.