Photos: In Delhi, stirring portraits of migrant workers walking home

As tens of thousands of migrant workers started walking back home from cities and towns, Delhi's Anand Vihar interstate bus terminal was bursting at its seams following an announcement by the UP government to organize buses for them to travel in. The nationwide lockdown has rendered India's migrant workers unemployed, and sheer desperation to return to their villages and towns is seeing a mass exodus on foot, on India's highways. HT photographer Biplov Bhuyan spoke to some migrant workers, while photographing their plight.

Updated on: Mar 29, 2020 3:48 PM IST

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Jina, 70, started walking to her home in Jhansi, from Mathura Road in Delhi after a 21-day national lockdown was imposed by PM Narendra Modi to curb the spread of the coronavirus. She said she was travelling with her family, with no money on her. Interstate migrant workers are still walking on the highways from Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and so are the intra-state migrant workers. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT PHOTO)

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Gajram, 30, walking to Ranchi from Ashram in Delhi. He said he was travelling with his family members and carrying two rupees on him. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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A huge rush of migrant workers who started walking back to their homes, seen here at the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal on day four of the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, in New Delhi on Saturday, March 28. The Uttar Pradesh government has arranged some buses for them to take them back home. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Sandeep,10, who was seen walking to Jhansi with his father-- both carrying no money on them. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Gauri Shankar,18, on his way to Jhansi from Delhi, after a 21-day national lockdown was imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resulting in all transport infrastructure being suddenly stalled in the country, except for essential services. Shankar said he was travelling with his mother and two younger sisters and carrying only twenty rupees. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Ashok Kumar Pandey, 29, a security guard, with his two year--old son, while walking to Gonda in UP from Ashram, New Delhi on March 28. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Anand Vihar bus terminal saw tens of thousands of migrant workers assembled in a desperate attempt to get on buses organized by the UP government to take them home. Social distancing was, obviously, a distant possibility as one can see in this image. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Kishan, a rickshaw puller, 24, with his nine-month-old son while walking to Mahoba in UP from Ashram in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, March 28. He said he had 1500 rupees for the journey that he was making with his wife and son. He also mentioned that he would never return to Delhi. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Hira Lal, 28, newly-wed, with his wife as they walk from Ashram, New Delhi to Mahoba in UP. They have a young son as well. He said he had borrowed 1500 rupees from a friend to travel. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Serpentine queues at the Anand Vihar interstate bus terminal where tens of thousands of migrant workers gathered to be taken home in government buses. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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Vijay, 30, a tailor, with his three children while walking to Badaun in UP from Ashram, New Delhi. He said he had 500 rupees to make the journey. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

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A portrait of Vikram Sharma, who along with his family was waiting for a bus to go to Mainpuri in UP, from Ashram yesterday. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)