Seeking greener pastures: Conceptualizing <i>rahar</i> and <i>badhyata</i> in Nepali culture of migration

This article frames rahar (desire) and badhyata (compulsion) as interdependent cultural logics that shape migration imaginaries in Nepali society. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with aspiring labor migrants and international students, the study explores how these affective frameworks operate dialectically, simultaneously reflecting subjective emotional experiences while recursively structuring the culture of migration. The analysis contends that badhyata is rooted in material deprivation, perceived limited opportunity structures, and existential precarity, and compels migration as a livelihood strategy. In contrast, rahar emerges from aspirational subjectivities shaped by media narratives, success stories of migrants, and status-driven ambitions. Together, these logics co-constitute a hegemonic migration culture, in which migration is not only normalized as the primary means of securing futures, capital and social recognition but also valorized as a pathway to social worth and belonging. By interrogating the emotional economies of rahar and badhyata , this article advances a critical framework for understanding how affective forces sustain and legitimize migration as both a personal aspiration and a sociocultural imperative in Nepal. The study contributes to broader migration discourse by emphasizing the cultural and emotional underpinnings of migration decisions, which are shaped by local contexts and shared narratives alike.