Paper short abstract:

The paper explores how rural-urban and transnational mobility intersect and affect feelings of belonging through ethnography of Vohras in Gujarat and abroad, who are making a 'Muslim area' in a rural town in central Gujarat into a centre of a regional and transnational community.

Paper long abstract:

Anand town in central Gujarat exemplifies the trend of 'ghettoisation' of Indian Muslims: after the violence of 2002, many Muslims from nearby villages and towns sought safety and comfort here. Ethnographic study of the 'Charotar Sunni Vohra' community, the main Muslim community in the town, reveals that a sense of belonging to the 'Charotar' region is maintained despite the trends of displacement, migration and residential segregation. The paper thus presents a different view on 'ghettoisation' and describes the 'Muslim area' of Anand as a centre of regional and transnational community making rather than as a site of isolation.

Vohra residents of the town tell a community narrative of long-term embedding in the 'Charotar' region and remain intimately connected to the rural hinterland through dispersed kinship networks and economic engagements. They see Anand as a well-connected 'centre' of the regional Vohra community.

Vohras who migrated abroad maintain connected to the region through remittances, investments and return visits. They have also redirected their attention to Anand recently. Though originated from different villages and towns, they have followed their local families to Anand and are making it into a hometown where they locate 'return'.

Based on ten months of research in central Gujarat, a rural region with a history of transnational migration and of violence against Muslims, and on two months among Vohras in the UK, the paper suggests trajectories of mobility are key to the regional experience, both for local residents and for transnational visitors.