The embrace of Mumbai

In a petal-strewn Bombay alley, up a narrow rank of rusting metal stairs, is the one-room bedroom-bathroom-kitchen of social activist Indira Paudyal. Two bamboo mats are beds; a wall cupboard holds clothes, paperwork, photographs. A kerosene stove warms water for lemon tea. A single window overlooking suburban Thane's envied greenery eases the claustrophobia. Through this, 32-year-old Indira, who emigrated from Nepal two months ago leaving her two children and parents behind, watches a street slowly flood, hears the comforting clang of temple bells, and, like the persistent buzz of mosquitoes, listens to conversations in languages she does not understand.

Indira is among an estimated 300,000 Nepali women in Bombay. While the majority are housewives who accompany their husbands, following the push and pull of political and economic realities, many are employed, in sectors ranging from domestic and sex work, to non-profits and small businesses. However, like the city's estimated 200,000 Bangladeshi women, at least half have been trafficked, including into domestic and forced labour, and may spend years trying to regain control over their own lives. Even those living the 'immigrant dream' are faced with obstacles, of being both women and migrants.