Acknowledgements

1I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Aditya Bharadwaj for his constant support and encouragement, for all the literature he introduced me to, and for always taking time out of his schedule to help bring this paper to fruition. Thank you to Prof. Anna-Riikka Kaupinnen for guiding me through the initial stages of this research and always being ready to discuss my half-formed ideas with me.

2This paper would not have been possible without the ASHA workers of Janta Mazdoor Colony, Welcome, and Seelampur. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy days to answer my questions and for letting me into a part of your lives. This paper has been a small glimpse into all the hard work you put in every day. To Meena and K. for being as invested in this project as I was, and to Shreeti and Sandhya ma’am at SEHER for giving me the opportunity to work with them and pursue this research: thank you.

3To the ‘AnSo’ MA cohort of 2023 - we’ve had an interesting two years and I’m grateful to have experienced this programme and this city alongside all of you. And thank you to everyone in the Research Design and Writing Ethnography classes - your feedback challenged me to explore writing and research from new perspectives, to break out of my shell and actually put my thoughts into words. And thank you to Prof. Kristen McNeill, whose Economic Sociology course led to the basis of this paper.

4To all my friends, in Geneva and Delhi and everywhere in-between. To Shaivi, Spriha, Arushi and Smita: thank you for always giving me a space to come home to. To Merab, Krishni and Gia, for making a new city not seem so scary anymore. Thank you especially to Prateek, not in the least for all the proofreading, editing, and emotional support he has provided for two years. To Rohan, Casey, Anjali, and Havi, who somehow always know when I need cheering up. This experience has been made so much easier by all of you.

5This paper is dedicated to my parents. To my father, for everything he has done and continues to do for me. Thank you for showing me how to find humour in every situation. To my mother, who knew me better than I knew myself. And to both of them, for passing on their love of reading and writing to me, and for encouraging me every step of the way.