TIBETAN IMMIGRANT ECONOMY IN MAJNU KA TILLA, DELHI / INDIA

The article focuses on the immigrant economy of the Tibetan exile community in India's capital by examining the development of the settlement Majnu Ka Dila at the flood plains of the Yamuna River. Majnu Ka Tilla developed from a squatter settlement in the 1960s into the Indian centre of Tibetan commerce in exile and a tourist hotspot. The economic development potential of Majnu Ka Tilla - within the legal framework of Delhi - is investigated by analysing the data of a qualitative and quantitative field study grounded in concepts of ethnic economies. The collected data show that the first migrants started with very simple businesses like food stalls, small pubs, brewing of Tibetan beer, and small-scale textile enterprises - mostly sweater-selling'- which enabled them to survive in the city. The second generation, better educated than their parents, was already able to open stores allowing them to achieve greater financial independence. With increased options, economic activities became more diverse as demonstrated by the opening of travel agencies, beauty parlors and hotels. The 'microcosm' of their own ethnic businesses forms the foundation for integration into urban society, a further economic diversification based on better education and the establishment of international economic networks.