of the populace are ethnic Nepali. ethnic groups include the Lepchas and Bhutias. The Kiratis are Rais, Limbus, Yakkhas Sunuwars, Dhimals and The Indian Gorkha ethnic groups include Chhetri, Thakuri, Bahun, Jogi/Sanyasi, Magar, Gurung, Kami, Damai, Tamang, Newar, Thami, Sherpa, Yalmo Other communities are the Bengalis, Marwaris, Anglo-Indians, Han Chinese, Biharis and Tibetans. Nepali is the lingua franca of Darjeeling; others are Tibetan, Hindi, English and Bengali. As of 2016, the population of the town of Darjeeling was predominantly Gorkha or Nepali speaking. There were also smaller numbers of Lepchas, Bhutias, Tibetans, Bengalis, Marwaris and Biharis. In the 2011 census, between them they practiced Hinduism (66.5%), Buddhism (23.9%), Christianity (5.1%) and Islam (3.9%). The Lepchas were considered the main indigenous community of the region, their original religion being a form of animism. The Nepali community was a complex mix of numerous castes and ethnic groups, with the roots of many in tribal and animist traditions. The accelerated growth of the town's population and the tightly packed living conditions in which different ethnicities mixed had created syncretic cultures in Darjeeling which had evolved away from their historical roots. Migration Although seasonal migration has long been a local feature, especially among the lower-income groups, substantial migration among middle-class youth is a 21st-century occurrence. Many educated young people in Darjeeling have begun to migrate out because the growth of jobs in the area has not kept pace with the numbers of people with tertiary degrees. Favoured destinations fall into three groups: neighbouring Gangtok in Sikkim, and Siliguri in North Bengal at the base of the Darjeeling hills; the large bustling cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Mumbai; and Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, where there is a linguistic culture in which they feel comfortable. The migrants are generally distinguishable by levels of education and access to economic privilege: those migrating to pursue higher education and professional careers, among which are engineering and journalism; and those looking for immediate employment, the common choices of which include call centres, beauty parlors, and dumpling stands. Both groups of migrants have experienced racism and economic and social discrimination in India's big cities, caused by their distinctive, more East Asian, physical appearance. References Works cited Further reading Darjeeling Demographics by city in India Gorkhaland