On a recent afternoon outside a library in Kashmir, a brief exchange between a student preparing for one of India’s most competitive examinations and three migrant balloon sellers from Rajasthan offered a quiet illustration of the economic realities that continue to drive internal migration across the country.

The scene unfolded near the library entrance, where three young men sat beside a cluster of balloons they were attempting to sell. Their presence was not unusual. Seasonal and temporary migration from economically vulnerable regions to other parts of India remains a common livelihood strategy for thousands of families seeking work opportunities unavailable in their home districts.

Among those leaving the library that day was Fawad, a student preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the entrance examination for medical education in India. According to witnesses present at the scene, Fawad paused after noticing the three balloon sellers and began speaking with them.

The conversation initially appeared routine. Fawad asked the young men where they had come from and how long they had been in Kashmir. The sellers responded that they had travelled from Rajasthan in search of income opportunities. They described economic hardship, limited resources and difficult living conditions as factors that had pushed them to leave home and seek work elsewhere.

The interaction drew attention because Fawad showed interest in their circumstances beyond a simple commercial transaction. Although he had no apparent need for balloons, he asked to purchase three of them. Witnesses said he paid more than the asking price and encouraged the young men to use the additional money to buy food.

From a purely financial perspective, the amount involved was modest. Yet the exchange highlighted a larger question about how individuals respond to visible signs of economic vulnerability in public spaces.

After the sellers left, an observer who had watched the interaction asked Fawad why he felt compelled to help strangers he did not know.His response was measured rather than sentimental.

“I am relatively well off,” he said. “I can skip one meal. They struggle for every meal. The matter is not always hunger.”

The remark shifted the discussion away from charity alone and toward a broader consideration of economic insecurity. For many informal workers, particularly migrants engaged in street vending and seasonal employment, the challenge extends beyond immediate food needs. Income uncertainty affects access to shelter, healthcare, education and social mobility. Small disruptions in earnings can have disproportionate consequences.

India’s internal migration patterns have long reflected these realities. Workers frequently move across states in search of seasonal employment in construction, agriculture, tourism, retail trade and informal services. Street vending, including the sale of balloons, toys and other low-cost items, often requires little capital investment but offers highly unpredictable earnings.

Daily income can depend on weather conditions, tourist activity, local demand and competition.The encounter in Kashmir illustrated these dynamics at an individual level. The three balloon sellers were not engaged in a formal employment arrangement. Their livelihood depended on persuading passers-by to purchase inexpensive products, making every interaction a potential source of income.

The image of brightly coloured balloons against the backdrop of economic hardship also carries a symbolic dimension that has long appeared in South Asian literature and poetry.

Balloons are often associated with celebration, childhood and temporary joy.

Yet their existence is inherently fragile, lasting only as long as the air within them remains contained.

That contrast finds resonance in a famous couplet by the eighteenth-century Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir:

“Hasti apni hubab ki si hai,

Ye numaish saraab ki si hai.”

A commonly accepted English rendering is:

“Our existence is like a bubble;This spectacle of life is like a mirage.”

The couplet reflects Mir’s recurring meditation on impermanence. A bubble appears briefly before disappearing. A mirage seems real from a distance but vanishes upon closer examination. Together, the images suggest the transient nature of worldly status, possessions and human circumstances.

Viewed through that lens, the encounter between the student and the balloon sellers acquires a wider significance. The balloons themselves become a metaphor for lives shaped by uncertainty. Economic security, educational opportunity and social standing often appear stable, yet they can be fragile and unevenly distributed.

Fawad’s decision to buy three balloons did not alter the structural conditions that had brought the sellers from Rajasthan to Kashmir. Nor did it address the broader economic factors influencing migration and informal labour. What it did reveal was an awareness of the asymmetry between those who can absorb temporary hardship and those whose daily survival depends on continuous earnings.

The transaction lasted only a few minutes. The balloons changed hands, a small amount of money was exchanged, and the sellers continued on their route. Yet the conversation that accompanied the purchase left a stronger impression than the sale itself.

In public discussions about poverty, attention often focuses on statistics, government programmes and economic indicators. Those measures remain essential for understanding the scale of deprivation. At the same time, individual encounters continue to shape how people perceive inequality in everyday life.

Outside the library that day, three migrant balloon sellers were attempting to earn a living far from home. A student preparing for a future in medicine paused long enough to ask where they had come from and why.

The answers were simple: poverty, migration and the search for opportunity. The response was equally simple: the purchase of three balloons and a recognition that need is not measured solely by hunger, but also by the human desire to be seen.

The amnesty, which runs through June, is a key element of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s strategy to address labor shortages and support economic growth in a country with an aging population. The measure is expected to benefit migrants working across sectors, including agriculture, where undocumented labor remains widespread.

Among those seeking legal status is Abdelmoujoud Erra, a 27-year-old Moroccan migrant who has spent seven years in Spain working irregular jobs in the greenhouse-dominated province of Almería. He said legal documentation would provide access to formal employment, better wages and greater stability after years of living in informal settlements and relying on day labor.

Almería, home to more than 30,000 hectares of intensive greenhouse cultivation, is the European Union’s largest winter supplier of vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers. The sector exports produce worth around 3 billion euros annually and employs roughly 80,000 workers, according to unions and local authorities.

Industry representatives and labor groups say the regularization program could help address persistent labor shortages while bringing greater stability to a workforce that includes large numbers of undocumented migrants.

Andrés Góngora, coordinator of farmers’ union COAG, said the measure could strengthen workforce availability and support agricultural production by allowing employers to hire workers through formal channels. He added that a larger and more secure labor pool could encourage cultivation of more labor-intensive crops and improve social integration.

Humanitarian organizations have long raised concerns about living and working conditions in the region. Charities estimate that around 10,000 migrants reside in substandard settlements around Almería and that a significant share of agricultural laborers lack legal documentation.

The initiative has become a flashpoint in Spanish politics. The opposition People’s Party argues that large-scale regularization could place additional pressure on public services, while the far-right Vox party has accused the government of using migration to reshape the country’s demographic makeup.

Spain’s population has expanded in recent years, largely driven by immigration. According to estimates from think tank Funcas, approximately 840,000 undocumented migrants currently participate in the labor force.

For many workers, the policy represents a chance to secure legal employment and improve living conditions. Michael Aymaga, a 35-year-old migrant from Ghana living in a settlement near Nijar with limited access to utilities, said obtaining legal status would allow him to contribute more fully to Spanish society and pursue long-term opportunities.

The state government said wages for unskilled workers would rise to about $165 per month from roughly $120, effective April 1, marking the first such policy move in response to the economic fallout from the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war.

The decision followed clashes between police and workers in Manesar, located near New Delhi and home to major manufacturing facilities including Maruti Suzuki and numerous supplier units. Authorities urged workers to resume duties peacefully after the announcement.

Workers said surging food prices, driven by disrupted gas supplies, had strained household budgets. India, the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas, is facing one of its most severe supply disruptions in decades, prompting the government to prioritize household consumption over industrial use.

The wage hike is expected to ease pressure on workers but add to cost burdens for automakers already grappling with higher raw material prices. Companies such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have raised vehicle prices, while Maruti has indicated similar steps may follow.

Industrial activity in Manesar was partially disrupted as workers boycotted shifts and staged protests. Employees reported that food costs had nearly doubled, with some migrant workers returning to their home villages due to rising expenses and uncertain supplies.

Suppliers including Munjal Showa said production was affected, while firms such as Roop Polymers reported limited disruption and a return to normal operations after the protests subsided.India’s auto sector relies heavily on migrant labor, with millions traveling to industrial clusters for work.

Industry groups warned that retaining workers has become a priority, with some companies offering meals and bonuses to prevent further departures.

Executives said supply chains could take weeks to stabilize even if geopolitical tensions ease, as disruptions to energy supplies continue to ripple through manufacturing and labor markets.

At a crowded platform in Anand Vihar railway station in Delhi, 35-year-old Raju Prasad and his family prepare to leave the capital after months of struggling to secure basic necessities. Having migrated from Uttar Pradesh less than a year ago in search of work, Prasad now says the rising cost of food and an acute shortage of cooking fuel have made it impossible for his family to survive in the city.

Prasad, who worked as a ragpicker alongside his wife, said the family earned about 500 rupees per day through long hours of manual labour. However, the depletion of their cooking gas supply nearly two weeks ago marked a turning point. With no access to affordable replacements and limited alternatives, their savings were quickly exhausted. He said the family initially resorted to collecting firewood, but even that option has since run out, forcing them to return to their village in Gorakhpur.

The situation reflects a broader trend unfolding across urban centres in India, where supply disruptions linked to the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have driven up fuel prices and reduced availability. The shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), widely used for cooking in urban households and small businesses, has had cascading effects on food access and affordability, particularly among migrant workers and low-income groups.

In the same railway station, 25-year-old Sarfaraz, a construction worker from Bihar, waits for funds from his family to purchase a ticket home. Employed at the construction site of the Jewar Noida International Airport, he said his daily wage of around 550 rupees was no longer sufficient to cover rising living costs. His gas supply ran out nearly 20 days ago, and he has been unable to secure a replacement due to both shortages and sharply inflated prices in informal markets.

Sarfaraz said the cost of a gas cylinder has increased from approximately 900 rupees to as high as 4,500 rupees in the black market, placing it beyond reach for most daily wage earners. He added that food prices outside have also doubled, limiting access to even basic meals. “I’ve not had proper food for the past two days,” he said, noting that his savings had been depleted.

Urban food systems in cities such as Delhi rely heavily on a dense network of small eateries, roadside vendors, and informal food services that depend on LPG for daily operations. The shortage has disrupted these networks, leading to closures, reduced menus, and higher prices. This has disproportionately affected migrant workers, students, and other low-income residents who depend on inexpensive prepared food rather than home cooking.Restaurant owners report significant operational challenges.

Anil, who has managed a small restaurant in Nehru Place for three decades, said he has never experienced a similar disruption. He confirmed that rising input costs have forced him to increase menu prices while removing several items. He has also reverted to traditional cooking methods using a chulha, or open-fire stove, which is slower and less efficient.

Anil added that declining customer footfall and higher operational costs are putting pressure on his business and workforce. With around 10 employees dependent on the establishment, he said prolonged disruption could lead to job losses if conditions do not improve.

Government representatives acknowledge supply constraints but maintain that efforts are underway to stabilize distribution. Praveen Shankar Kapoor, spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi, said authorities are working to address shortages in both domestic and commercial LPG supply chains. He stated that while consumers using formal booking systems are receiving cylinders, smaller users particularly those relying on 5kg cylinders are facing greater challenges.

Kapoor noted that migrant workers and students often fall outside the formal distribution framework, as they are typically not registered under domestic gas consumer schemes. This has left them dependent on informal markets where prices have surged.Students have also reported significant disruption.

At Jamia Millia Islamia, many students from low-income backgrounds depend on shared accommodation and affordable canteen services.

Farheen Naaz, a media student from West Bengal, said she has not had access to cooking gas for 10 days and has been skipping meals as a result. She added that several university canteens have shut down, while those still operating have raised prices.

Naaz said the situation is affecting the health of students, particularly those living in shared housing arrangements. In her accommodation, which houses around 50 women, residents are facing similar constraints due to both fuel shortages and rising food costs.

The shortage has also affected markets for alternative cooking solutions. Retailers report a sharp increase in demand for electric appliances such as induction cooktops and rice cookers. Ahmad, a wholesale trader at ZamZam Crockery, said prices for induction stoves have risen from around 1,300 rupees to 5,000 rupees. He attributed the increase to upstream supply constraints and higher input costs, adding that prices for many electrical cooking appliances have risen significantly.

The convergence of fuel shortages, rising food prices, and limited access to affordable alternatives has triggered a reverse migration pattern in urban centres. Migrant workers, who form a substantial portion of the informal workforce in cities like Delhi, are increasingly returning to their home villages where food access is relatively more secure and traditional cooking methods remain viable.

At railway stations, scenes of families departing with limited belongings have become more frequent. For many, the decision to leave reflects not only economic strain but also the breakdown of essential urban support systems that sustain daily life for low-income populations.

As Sarfaraz continues to wait for funds to complete his journey home, he checks his phone repeatedly, hoping to join others boarding trains out of the city. His situation underscores the immediate pressures faced by migrant workers, whose livelihoods are closely tied to volatile urban conditions and limited social safety nets.

In London, Wolfgang began searching for his father with growing urgency after losing contact with him in the United Arab Emirates. Unable to reach Albert directly, he contacted associates in the country and began tracing possible leads.

Initial concerns centred on reports of violence along border regions, where Wolfgang believed smugglers might have been involved. He organised searches along known transit routes and contacted hospitals and police authorities, but no information emerged during the first week.

Roughly ten days later, Wolfgang received a call from an unfamiliar UAE number. Albert, speaking amid audible background noise, confirmed he was alive but in distress. By that point, he had already spent days in solitary confinement, according to his account.The episode unfolded against a backdrop of heightened regional instability that has begun to affect perceptions of the UAE as a secure destination for foreign residents.

In recent weeks, missile strikes linked to the conflict involving Iran have disrupted daily life in parts of the country, prompting some expatriates and visitors to leave. The developments have challenged the long-standing narrative of the UAE as a stable regional hub.Authorities have also tightened information controls during the crisis.

Influencers, who have required government licensing since 2025, along with members of the public, have been warned against sharing unverified footage of attacks. Violations carry the risk of fines or imprisonment. Reports indicate that more than 20 individuals, including a British tourist, have faced charges related to the dissemination of such material.

Before the escalation in regional tensions, the UAE hosted an estimated 250,000 British expatriates, many concentrated in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The country has attracted foreign professionals and entrepreneurs with low taxation, modern infrastructure and business opportunities.

At the same time, its legal and political framework differs significantly from Western systems, with restrictions on political activity, strict social regulations and extensive surveillance infrastructure.Wolfgang and Albert were among earlier waves of expatriates who built businesses during periods of rapid development. Wolfgang described a social environment in which expatriates were integrated into high-profile networks, often participating in events that showcased Dubai’s global image.

He said expatriates like himself were used to project success, describing the experience as “the proof in the pudding” of opportunity in the city.Albert, however, characterised his time in the UAE differently, focusing primarily on work and family life. He said he avoided risky or informal business practices, believing that legal processes in the country operated fairly.

That assumption changed after his detention.According to Albert, his legal situation deteriorated rapidly. He described escalating legal costs, asset seizures and pressure from creditors as his case moved through the courts. Legal advice he received suggested that his chances of success were limited.

He said he had not previously encountered the concept of financial entrapment, but claimed that many inmates he later met had faced similar circumstances.As legal avenues narrowed, Wolfgang explored options to extract his father from the country.

He said he arranged contact with a people-smuggling network in London and agreed to pay £20,000 for an operation that would move Albert across borders through a multi-stage route involving land and sea transit. The plan involved crossing into Iran and eventually reaching Pakistan before returning to the United Kingdom using emergency documentation.

Albert’s detention continued during this period. He was eventually transferred in June 2021 to Al Awir prison in Dubai, a large facility on the outskirts of the city. There, he shared a cell with multiple inmates, including individuals from various national backgrounds. He described conditions as overcrowded, with up to 15 prisoners sharing limited sleeping arrangements and basic amenities.

Foreign nationals make up a significant proportion of the UAE’s prison population, reflecting the country’s broader demographic composition. Many detainees come from South Asia, often linked to labour migration under the kafala system, which ties workers’ legal status to their employers.

Albert said that living conditions depended in part on access to financial support from outside the prison. He reported paying for basic items, including a chair to accommodate a pre-existing back condition. Access to facilities such as gyms and libraries was limited, with long waiting periods.

Daily life inside the prison was marked by inactivity and restricted communication. Albert said visits from family and legal representatives were blocked, and he developed coping mechanisms to manage extended periods of confinement. He described irregular sleep patterns and persistent noise within the facility.He also said he was pressured to sign legal documents written in Arabic, a language he did not understand.

He maintained that his case involved coercion and lacked transparency, though no official response to these claims was provided in the material.The experience has highlighted broader tensions within the UAE’s model of economic openness combined with strict legal enforcement.

While the country continues to attract foreign investment and talent, cases involving expatriates have drawn attention to the risks associated with its legal system, particularly for individuals unfamiliar with local regulations.

Wolfgang’s account underscores the challenges faced by families attempting to navigate cross-border legal disputes in jurisdictions with differing legal frameworks.

His efforts to locate and assist his father unfolded alongside a shifting geopolitical environment that has begun to affect both the perception and lived reality of expatriate life in the Gulf.

Marcos told reporters he had consulted counterparts across the 10-member bloc on whether to postpone the gathering, but leaders agreed that coordination was more critical given the external shocks affecting fuel supply chains, food prices and migrant workers.

“The consensus that we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts,” Marcos said.

The streamlined agenda will concentrate on immediate economic pressures facing Southeast Asia, including volatility in energy markets and rising food costs, which governments in the region are monitoring closely as geopolitical tensions persist.

ASEAN economies are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in global fuel prices due to their reliance on imports, while supply chain disruptions have added strain to domestic inflation dynamics in several member states.

Marcos said discussions would also address the welfare of migrant workers, a key issue for ASEAN countries that rely heavily on overseas employment. Regional governments have been assessing the impact of instability in the Middle East, a major destination for Southeast Asian labour.

The Philippine government has already flagged concerns about overseas workers in affected areas, reflecting broader anxieties across ASEAN about potential displacement and income disruptions.

The decision to proceed with the summit underscores ASEAN’s preference for continuity in regional dialogue despite global uncertainty. Marcos indicated that postponement was considered but ultimately rejected in favour of maintaining diplomatic engagement.

The summit is expected to retain core leadership interactions while scaling back ceremonial and extended policy sessions, reflecting what Marcos described as a need for efficiency under current conditions.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown, tens of thousands of migrant workers crammed into buses or walked for days to get back to their native villages.

But many other workers across this nation of 1.3 billion, including hundreds of day labourers in Mumbai’s handloom textile area of Bhiwandi, got stranded when the trains stopped running.

More than one week into the lockdown, many of these migrants now depend on free meals, typically provided twice a day by companies, mill owners or local authorities.

Under the shade of a shuttered guest house called Hotel New India, dozens of workers, all men, jostled for a lunch of bread and a plastic bag filled with vegetable sauce.

To quench their thirst, the men tapped into a water pipe and drank from it using the same green cup.

Some haven’t washed for days because they do not have money to buy soap, and many now defecate in the open because nearby toilets cost the equivalent of 4 U.S. cents to use.

“Either you start the trains so we can go home or you stop the lockdown so we can start our work,” mill worker Mayaram Tiwari, 35, from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, told Reuters.

The lockdown has brought trains to a halt and sealed state borders, sparking some isolated protests by migrant workers.

Modi’s administration says the shutdown is crucial to avoid a catastrophic health crisis in densely-populated India where public hospitals are already overloaded.

India has reported over 1,900 confirmed cases, including 50 deaths.

At Bhiwandi, the workers said police come around several times a day to ensure the lockdown is being observed, sending them scurrying into the stuffy, dark mills where many of them also sleep. One worker twisted his ankle as he ran from stick-wielding police and is currently in hospital, they said.

The deputy commissioner of police for the area, Rajkumar Shinde, said local officials had assured him the workers were being taken care of and that community kitchens would be set up soon to feed them.

Officials at India’s health ministry and the Mumbai health department did not respond to requests for comment about plans for the Bhiwandi workers.

Giridhar Babu, a professor of epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, said the lockdown was necessary even if it risks contributing to a rise in non-communicable diseases in poor communities.

“I’m not saying: ‘Let some people get typhoid.’ But if there was no lockdown, more of these people would have died,” said Babu, because the poor are less likely to get optimal medical care. “I still think we have achieved greater benefits for the entire community.”