An hour before its scheduled departure, the train from Saharsa in north Bihar to Amritsar is already standing-room only. Sukhdev Rishi isn't overwhelmed. He has found an upper berth to share with five others, his little bag placed near him. For seven years, the 22-year-old has left his hometown to work at a flour mill in Haryana. He spends six months there, sending Rs 10,000 from every paycheck to his family. Then he spends a month at home before returning to the mill.
