Who gets to call a city park theirs? In South Delhi, the 46-acre Vijay Mandal Park is owned by the Delhi Development Authority and used by neighbours, commuters and wage workers alike. It is kept green by a group of migrant families from Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh, who live and work at its edge.
In this episode, Ramesh, Kranti, Radha and Guddi talk about the work of tending the park, the children and fields they have left behind, the heat, and rain that no longer keeps to its season. Harinder Singh, the park supervisor, recalls how the park was made. Amita Baviskar, professor at Ashoka University, reflects on who Delhi’s green commons are for, and what a park designed to look beautiful asks of its land and water.
Who keeps cities running and homes sparkling?
Follow The Migration Story’s nuanced coverage of India’s massive informal workforce.
