Northeast India, often described as a narrow corridor or geographical strip comprising eight states, is nestled between three international borders—China to the northeast, Myanmar to the southeast, and Bangladesh to the southwest, and to the west is mainland India.
Despite being a land blessed with immense biodiversity, abundant mineral resources, and a rich tapestry of distinct ethnic cultures, the region has experienced a steady decline in overall well-being. A complex web of factors—including persistent infrastructural neglect due to failed policies and programmes, rampant corruption, and socio-political tensions over land and indigeneity—has contributed to growing unrest and widespread disillusionment.
Caught in this stagnation, the youth of the region are increasingly compelled to migrate to metropolitan cities across mainland India in search of better opportunities. These young individuals leave home for various reasons: some to pursue higher education or promising careers, others to explore business ventures, or simply to escape the constraints of a struggling society back home.
Regardless of their motivations, a common thread ties them all—the desire to break free from economic stagnation and the scarcity of viable prospects.
This article delves into the often-overlooked, uncomfortable realities faced by Northeastern youth in India’s metropolitan cities. It highlights not just their economic and practical struggles, but also the emotional, spiritual, and ethical costs of survival far from home.
When survival becomes critical, even deeply held values are often compromised. One of the most painful decisions for parents is letting their children leave the safety of their care for an unfamiliar world.
Yet, with limited educational, employment opportunities and crumbling systems back home, many families—despite their modest means—see no alternative. The burden of hope rests on the shoulders of these young migrants. Parents live with constant anxiety, often sacrificing their limited income to support their children’s education and living expenses in distant cities.
Some of these youth find decent employment in government offices or the formal private sector, but many—especially those with limited qualifications—end up in exploitative or even illegal ventures. They endure harsh conditions and sometimes abandon their spiritual and moral values just to survive.
To fully understand their predicament, we must examine their lives across various lenses: students, job seekers, small-time entrepreneurs, and those who fall outside conventional classifications.
A significant number of students from the Northeast migrate to cities like Delhi every year after completing high school (Class X and XII) or graduation.
The primary drivers of this migration include a lack of academic infrastructure, an unstructured education system, and an environment not conducive for higher learning in their home states. Many students come from financially unstable backgrounds, yet their parents support their education with unyielding hope.
However, the success rate remains discouraging. A handful secure respectable jobs, but many return home either unemployed or with unrecognized degrees. In desperation, some fall into the trap of fraudulent companies—especially fake call centers—where they are employed to deceive customers.
These operations often thrive on illegal practices, and while employees receive payment, it comes at the cost of legality and ethics. Tragically, some parents, unaware of the true nature of their children’s employment, continue accepting money blindly—only to face heartbreak when legal troubles arise. Each year, multiple such cases involving Northeastern students are reported. As uncomfortable as it is, this is the harsh truth.
This group includes those without degrees, high school graduates, and fresh college pass-outs. While a fortunate few land in legitimate jobs, the majority find themselves in menial or dubious employment.
Common workplaces include beauty salons, spas, and illegitimate call centers—sectors often associated with labour exploitation.
In Delhi and NCR, regular police crackdowns reveal numerous such rackets, and Northeastern youth are often among those detained.
Physical exploitation, especially of women in spa-related jobs, is disturbingly prevalent, with some cases even ending in death. Paradoxically, some individuals earn large sums in these roles and go on to establish their own fraudulent ventures—perpetuating a cycle where former victims become new perpetrators.
Desperate job seekers are sometimes duped by people from their own community into paying advance fees—amounting to thousands or even lakhs—in exchange for false job promises. Once trapped, they are forced to recruit others, continuing an exploitative chain. This self-betrayal, driven by desperation and greed, results in widespread emotional and mental trauma.
A segment of Northeastern migrants ventures into small-scale business, funded either through savings or their own arrangement of capital from home.
These range from grocery and clothing stores to restaurants, salons, and meat (dry and raw) businesses. However, many of these establishments, particularly those dealing with food (including vegetables) or groceries, also engage in the illegal sale of liquor.
Despite periodic penalties, such operations persist through clandestine arrangements with local law enforcement. The concerned officials often demand bribes from vendors to avoid arrest, creating a mutually exploitative system.
While a few business owners do well—sending money home or investing in properties—many operate dishonestly just to survive. The fine line between entrepreneurship and illicit trade is often blurred.
Some Northeastern youth get entangled with foreign nationals—particularly Nigerians—who exploit them for illegal financial transactions. These operations involve using their bank accounts for international money laundering, with the innocent youth receiving minor commissions.
While some use multiple accounts to evade detection, law enforcement eventually catches up. Detentions and legal repercussions follow.
Those drawn to fast money and nightlife are especially vulnerable. Many spiral into drug addiction, a growing concern in metros. Youth under the influence can often be seen in public spaces, raising alarm over how they sustain these habits. Tragically, drug-related deaths are now common.
Excess income, whether earned legitimately or otherwise, often leads to reckless living—lavish parties, drinking, gambling, and purposeless drifting. Some Northeastern youth flaunt luxury cars and engage in high-stakes betting (card game), devoid of guidance or direction.
A lack of guardianship only worsens the situation, accelerating behavioral and moral decay.
Adding to this is racial discrimination. Bullying, fraud, threats, molestation, and physical assaults (rape and including mysterious lost or dead) are daily realities. While some incidents are reported, many go unnoticed. In response, Delhi established the Special Police Unit for North Eastern Region (SPUNER) in 2014 to address such discrimination and offer a semblance of safety.
To adapt and resist, the Northeastern Diaspora has built social, student, and religious organizations to support one another. Churches and ministries offer spiritual refuge. NGOs like “Helping Hands” provide legal aid, emergency relief, and even help repatriate the bodies of deceased migrants. These organizations are lifelines—but they can only do so much.
The painful reality of Northeastern youth living in India’s metro cities is not a matter of isolated misfortune; it’s a consequence of systemic neglect and socio-political failure. The lack of adequate infrastructure, employment, education, and institutional support has pushed thousands of young people out of their homelands. And yet, what they find in cities is often not opportunity, but exploitation, discrimination, spiritual erosion, and moral compromise.
Back home, families silently make sacrifices—sending money, praying, and hoping for a better future—unaware of the hardships and moral dilemmas their children face in unfamiliar lands. While a few return with degrees or success stories, many come back broken, burdened by regret, and disconnected from the values they once held dear.
In the absence of clear direction, a new tendency has emerged: the proliferation of religious leaders and spiritual groups within the Diaspora. While their contributions have generated certain positive outcomes, they have also produced a number of adverse consequences.
Rather than pursuing a shared mission, many have chosen to establish separate ministries oriented toward individual interests. Such developments have resulted in confusion, spiritual dissonance, and discomfort within the community.
Instead of creating parallel structures driven by personal recognition, a collective framework should be instituted—one that allocates responsibilities in accordance with calling and expertise. Whether in counseling, education, employment support, or spiritual mentoring, leaders must collaborate in order to genuinely serve the community.
Organisations like “Helping Hands” have done commendable work. But unless systemic issues are addressed—through central and state government interventions focusing on employment generation, educational reform, peace building, and sustainable development—the cycle of forced migration and suffering will persist.
Parents, too, must remain vigilant. Accepting money from children without having any knowledge of its source is dangerous. Earnings gained through unethical means not only taint family honour but also defile sacred spiritual practices—offerings, thanksgiving, and tithes.
When such money enters religious institutions, it pollutes the very sanctity these places are meant to uphold. The consequences of unethical earnings can trigger a chain reaction, ultimately destroying a family’s reputation, spiritual well-being, and even compromising the purity of the church.
Ultimately, the future of the Northeast lies in a collective awakening—moral, political, and spiritual. Healing cannot be fragmented. It requires sincerity in leadership, unity in community, and integrity in individual action. Our youth deserve more than mere survival; they deserve dignity, guidance, and the opportunity to flourish.
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