Every year hundreds of thousands of Nepali peasants leave their hill villages for the plains of India, where they end up working some of the most wretched jobs. Migration is an integral part of their life experience. Almost like an annual ritual with its own rhythm and cycle, it has now turned into a time-honoured rite of passage for countless paharis (Nepali hill people). For some, migration is the mainstay of family survival, whereas for others it is a source of supplementary income. Irrespective of how one views it, there is no doubt that without it, social reproduction of the hills would be in jeopardy. Yet studies of Nepali labour migration to India are scanty, especially those conducted from a historical perspective and in the context of labour-capital relations. Analysis of labour migration cannot be separated from its capitalist relations, nor can it be carried out in isolation from its historical roots if we are to paint a fuller picture of its contemporary manifestations and trends. Working from...