Land of opportunities beckons migrants from Orissa

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

It was the quest of higher education that brought Gyanranjan Mohapatra to Chennai 27 years ago and now the city has become his second home providing him innumerable opportunities in his career growth.

Chennai is a land of opportunities and is the most peaceful city when compared to any other metro in the country, says Mohapatra, an IT professional who came to Chennai in 1985 to pursue his engineering course and settled down in the city.

An assistant manager in Computer Management Service, Mohapatra feels the city offers plenty of opportunities for migrants. “There are plenty of jobs available in IT and BPO sector,” he says.

Interestingly, the city also has number of civil servants from Orissa who consider it their second home. Some like R C Panda, who is a member of Central Adminitrative Tribunal (CAT)  feels close to the city as he has spent the best time of his life here. Starting his career as an assitant collector of Coimbatore, Panda feels Chennai is his second home as he has more friends in Chennai than in Orissa. “My children have been brought up here. My family and I have a nostalgic attachment to the place. After my retirement from CAT, I will be settling down in Chennai only,” says Panda.

Interestingly, his daughter, a doctor by profession, is married to a boy from Tirunelveli highlighting the innumerable inter-state marriages. “Now I have a mapilai who is from Tirunelveli,” says Panda highlighting his closeness to the state.

The Utkal Association of Madras president Khirod Kumar Jena said that people of Orissa living in Tamil Nadu have brought with them their culture, art, personal values and professional expertise and Tamil Nadu has welcomed and embraced them wholeheartedly.

He said that there had been innumerable inter-state marriages and the ties between both the states are growing stronger. Interestingly, the state has been a favourite destination for people of orissa for medical treatment, education and work.

He said there are more than two lakh Orissa migrants in the state, some holding prominent post in the administration while some working as migrant labourers

Interestingly, it is not the opportunities in corporate firms or peace in the city that is attracting Orissa migrants, it is also the huge development projects which is attracting the workforce from Orissa.

The city has a sizeable number of Oriya workforce who are paid better wages here. Mondal, a migrant worker feels the state has numerous pro-poor schemes. “There is plenty of food and opportunities here which attracts many of the migrant workers from the state,” he says.