Malayalees in the Gulf - life has to go on

January 2006

Malayalees in the Gulf - life has to go on


AS the old joke goes, the first astronaut to land on the moon found a Malayalee thattukada there. The joke symbolises the adventerous spirit of the Malayalees in going places in search of a livelihood. In real life, it is nowhere truly visible as it is in the oil-rich Gulf area, where more than two million Keralites live today. For them, the Gulf once represented the land of dreams where they could make their fortunes. Today, the dreams remain dreams for an overwhelming majority of them, making just enough to lead a moderate life. Many simply scrape through and have to keep tight reins on themselves in order to make sure his or her family gets the monthy cheque of a few thousand rupees.
For many, dreams have turned to nightmares if only for the smallest miscalculation and in other cases for no fault of their own.
Indeed, a small percentage of them have made it big in business, beginning with traditional trading, clothing, gold and food. A slightly larger number are running groceries, thattukads and service agencies (tailoring, hairdressing etc). The majority are employed, and they are the one who represent the overall picture of an average Gulf Malayalee.
Gulf Malayalees are generally respected for their commitment to work and general principles in life. That is something they have retained throughout the decades despite the off-and-on cases involving illegal activities such as sale of liquor and prostitution as well as cheating.
Oldtimers who landed in the Gulf shores during the early part of the "migration wave" in the early 70s — many of them smuggled themselves aboard motor launches which disgorged them off the coast under the cover of darkness — say they were lucky. At that time, the local residents welcomed them with open hands and employed them, and they managed to legalise their status as years went by.
It was then normal for the employers — who were beginning to experience the oil wealth that poured dollars into their coffers — to plan expanding their business and activities. Again, naturally, they sought help from their employees to recruit more staff. And this led to a swelling of the ranks of Malayalees (and indeed other Indians and non-Indians) in the Gulf countries. And the multiplication continued for many years, and is still continuing. But there is a marked difference.
During the first few years of the oil boom, an employee was trusted so much to the extent that the employer, or "sponsor," would sign on any paper presented to him. No one would think twice before securing hundreds of employment visas and entrusting their Malayalee employees to get the new employees.
But then, many Malayalee employees — and of course others too — abused the privilege and made money out of the so-called "visa business." And they taught the "locals" that there was money to be made from selling visas.
Soon, the scene became so corrupt that many Arab employers themselves were corrupted into making money from offering employment, today many of them ask how much they could get in return for using their status as a "local" to "sponsor" businesses or secure "job visas" for sale.
In the Gulf scene today, hundreds of Malayalees are paying and are ready to pay tens of thousands of rupees — the last I heard was that it cost Rs150,000 in India for a "job visa" in the UAE — in return for employment in the Gulf. For them, the Gulf still remains the "land of gold, milk and honey." They don't realise that they are walking to a life of misery because of diminishing salaries and rising cost of living and bitter competition in the employment market.
It does not need an empirical survey to determine that more than half of Keralites living in the Gulf make less than Rs12,000 per month. The lucky among them have company "accommodation" — like six or eight to a room and one toilet for 40 or 50 people — and the luckier minority would even have "company food."
The unanswered question is: How and when would they be able to make up for the Rs150,000 they paid their "agents."
With the real estate boom shooting up, there is a high demand for skilled and unskilled construction workers, but not many Malayalees are among the unskilled; that is a sector dominated by people from other states of India like Andhra Pradesh and northern areas.
In the UAE, rents have shot up and cost of living has also skyrockets as a result of a nearly 40 per cent increase in the prices fuel in the last two years. This mostly affects the average Malayalee family, whose combined income (husband and wife) is, say, less than 4,000 dirhams (around Rs50,000). They would be lucky to set aside 500 dirhams as saving or to be sent home to the family every month. And if they have schoolgoing children, then there is nothing left to save at the end of the month.
There is no way out for many of them except to continue to live here, hoping a miracle would happen and save them from their life of misery.
Then there is the ever-present trap of debts — bank loans and credit cards. There are thousands of Malayalees in the Gulf who are paying a good part of their income to settle their bank loans and credit cards. It is a never-ending process and most of them could not even think of ever returning home for good because of their liabilities in the Gulf.
There are of course Malayalees who occupy key positions in major business corporations, banks, insurance companies and other commercial entities. It is no exaggeration that they represent the backbone of the companies they work for. Their employers would find it difficult to replace them. They are also "active members" of the community, and, they, supported by family members, cousins and relatives as well as friends, are the ones who take the lead in organising "Onam" festivals in the Gulf.
In fact, occasions like Onam, Vishu and Christmans, and the daily Iftar meals during the holy month of Ramadan and of course the Eid festivals represent a forum and platform for Keralites from all walks of life to get together, to get to know each other and interact with each other. And hence the relevance of those "exciting" occasions and festivities in the Gulf.
Then there is the rising number of Malayalee women who are lured into the Gulf with employment promises only to be forced into the flesh trade. Dozens of cases are reported every month in the UAE alone, with some of them involving torture and brutality of a level that surpasses the worst place for it all — Mumbai. And who are behind the racket? None other than Malayalees themselves.
They are the rotten eggs in the basket, but their stink has not really affected the majority of Malayalees in the Gulf.
Despite the downturn in the attractions of life in the Gulf, not many Malayalees are ready to pack up and go home if only because they face a bleak future there in terms of employment. They have no option but to continue to live here with hopes that something would happen to turn their life around and set it on the "right track."
Life has to continue, no matter what. Isn't it?