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Society
Whom Watery Eyes Search
For in Emptiness?
by Subin Mananthavady
Kairali Pravasalokam
narrates the story of a television programme engrossed in discovering
the missing Malayalees in Gulf countries which later evolved into a
socially dedicated activism.
Who knows their agony?
‘’The false notion prevalent in society that people who go to Gulf
countries are secure and affluent was torn to pieces by Pravasilokam,
bringing the harsh reality that they still work like slaves’’- claims
P.T. Kunjumohammed. According to the unofficial reports, around 30 lakhs
of Malayalees from Kerala work in gulf countries. The mutant government
hardly attend to their safety so these abandoned lot create many
problems for the modern world. Their miserable plight with no labor
rules, meager salary, lack of proper treatment when ill, solitary life,
forfeited of their basic right to keep custody of their passports while
travelling add to their woes.
Hundreds of social and labor organizations, women’s associations,
political parties, all turn a blind eye to their miserable state. Many
jubilate at the expense of the money tainted with their sweat and blood.
Many go to Gulf countries to raise funds, to conduct cultural
programmes, to receive awards but none to voice the grievances of these
depraved people.
The sad tale of women too who lead a similar miserable life in Kuwait,
Saudi, Muscat which leaps in number day by day is also no exception.
These women who are employed as housemaids suffer badly without any food
or medicines. A great majority are poor.
‘’ we have many crew in different parts of the country to search for the
missing people’’- says P.T.Kunjumohammed. We also get aid from cultural
organizations from Muscat, Saudi, Singapore and Malaysia in our
activities. We also do a weekly visit to hospitals and prisons. There
are many in gulf countries who are deceived with the false promise of
offering a visa by the agents, or jobs. We telecast thousands of cases
like these through our programme. As the number of cases mount up day by
day, we now inquire into such cases only who have disappeared within two
years’’– pauses Kunjumohammed.
Gopalan and Raju
M. Gopalan who hails from Vengara Moolakal house in Kannur reaches
Muscat in 1988. in the beginning he used to send money and letters to
his family but afterwards there was no information about him. His wife
lodged a grievance with Pravasilokam. Due to improper health she had to
do menial jobs to bring her five children up. In between she had to stop
her daughters’ studies to bring her sons up as she found hard to meet
both ends. Finally the crew of Pravasilokam found him in Bisiya in
Muscat. He was in hiding without any legal documents of his job. The
friends of Pravasilokam arranged a visa for him. He now works in Muscat.
Parakatt Narayanan and his wife Gauri of Kasargod had no expectations
about their son’s return who left for Sharjah. When he disappeared
Narayanan contacted Indian embassy for four years and raised a complaint
about it. But it was all in vain. After that he sent a letter to
Pravasilokam. With the efforts made by the architects of pravasilokam
they released Raju who was imprisoned for a small offence in jail. They
also arranged a job for him in gulf.
Waited for one but came another
A native of Nadapuram, Devi’s husband Kanaran went to gulf to earn his
bread and butter 12 years ago. But later it turned a strange story when
he disappeared. Devi told her sad story to the crew of Pravasilokam. The
friends of Pravasilokam did a thorough search for the Indian embassy of
Bahrain. Finally he was found astray abroad. Then he was immediately
sent to his homeland with a ticket by Pravasilokam. Devi’s eyes searched
for each passenger who departed from karipur airport in Calicut. The
last passenger too came out. But her husband, Kanaran for whom she was
desperately waiting did not come.
When contacted the embassy in Bahrain, it was told that he was already
sent to his homeland. According to the chart of airport authorities, he
had reported to be arrived. With the information received from the
embassy, the Pravasilokam reached Kanaran’s . But instead of Devi’s
husband, it was another Kanaran who too left gulf 18 years ago and
roamed about without any information. The family was in a celebration of
their joy in recovering him.
Having lost all hopes and
totally shattered, devi was taken back home. While leaving her, nobody
can ever forget her sad face. It was a smile at first which slowly
turned into an outburst of tears. When it was copied for the camera
their eyes too filled up. Many incidents like these had to be presented
in Pravasilokam which had completed 325 episodes. Many people who were
straggled abroad like these were brought back to life by the programme.
Despite all these many helpless situations too occurred. Devi’s incident
is one such.
In 2000, when Kairali TV was launched, Mr Rafiq Ravuthar suggested the
idea of presenting a half an hour programme for gulf Malayalees –
recollects P.T. Kunjumohammed. ‘’ At that time we had only an idea
of presenting a half an ordinary programme in our mind. In the first few
episodes we were just introducing some of the eminent personalities in
the gulf countries. It would have been confined to an ordinary programme
had it not turned to a creative activism. Few people sent a person named
Kunjumohamed from Edapal district to participate in Pravasalokam. He
sold his kidney for 25,000 rupees to live happily with his family
atleast for one day in his life for last and ever before he end his
life. Instead of presenting a well-known personae in that episode,
kunjumohammed was introduced to the viewers. It was his tragic tale
which paved the way for the possibilities of the programme
‘Pravasilokam’. After listening to his sad story, the M.A.K Group owner,
Mr Yousuf Ali took mercy on him and offered a visa and a job. He now
works in U.A.E. Many similar incidents are many to quote – says Rafiq
Ravuthar.
When telecast ends activism begins
After this incident many families were continuously contacting us of
whose people who went abroad in search of a job and were missing. We
found 250 of them- recalls Kunjumohammed. After each episode the visual
pattern of the programme changed. It got a different form. Then it was
no more a programme. Our work really starts when an episode is
telecasted. we became conscious of the fact that we are handling a
serious social issue. After each episode we got completely involved in
finding the missing ones.
It was Madathil Rajan hailing from Kozhikode whom we regained first
through the programme. Another memorable incident to cite is a military
man, Mathew from Tiruvalla who were found after 23 years. He reached his
homeland for his son’s marriage. Many dramatic moments like these are
many to be cited- says Rafiq.
The unfortunate lot who fell into
trap
After completed telecasting of 150 episodes about 30 families about
Pravasilokam could not find any information were called for a programme
at Ernakulam. Their absconding did not arise out of the escapism from
life. Can we say that those who went in search for a living were
escaping from life? The great majority of the absconding resulted out of
deceit from the agents. They were the bait of the trap laid by the visa
agents. When people who go to gulf with the desire of minting money,
have a nightmare of the debts which crops up in their hometown , people
who are jobless and spend their life in prisons take refuge in
absconding.
A person’s disappearance is a terrible condition than his death. When a
person dies it is certain that he will not come back. But when a person
disappears, it is indefinite whether he is alive or dead. Their
relatives are not free from this uncertainty. They become anxious about
their missing people’s terrible condition abroad. The relatives send all
the details and photographs of their missing people to Pravasilokam.
Based on this, the presenter of Pravasilokam, P.t. Kunjumohammed
contacts the relatives through phone and collects more details about
them. The photograph presented on the screen for five minutes can be
viewed by the Malayalees all over the world. Viewing this, if someone
could give any information about the missing person, would contact the
representatives of Pravasilokam. It is through this way that the missing
people are searched for and brought back to their native land.
Fathima of Kozhikode decided to leave for gulf to raise her family
comprising of her five year old son , her mother and her sister when her
husband deserted her. Finally she reached the house of an Arab woman,
Affat Mohammed Mulla for a job in Kuwait. Her days of torture began from
that day onwards. She was thrashed with long stick and sandals. She
underwent starving for many days. Most of the days she would be given
dry Kuboos (a loaf in Gulf made of flour and yeast) to eat. She
passed her days of misery like these for four years. Since she was
illiterate she couldn’t even write a letter to her house. Neither she
was allowed to contact her house through telephone. She was denied her
salary too. By that time her passport also began to expire. It was not
renewed until Affat’s sister intervened with Fatima’s signature on the
condition that she received her full salary. She was finally presented
to the embassy with a ticket. She reached Mumbai. All
these time Fatim’a mother was searching for her daughter without any
information.
Alavi’s Tale
Alavi is the son of Chiranjan Marrakar and Lyaatutti. He left for Gulf
for a job in 1975 to look after his family including his aged father and
mother and his wife. Afterwards he came twice to his native land. When
he went back again in 1986 he had to wander about in search of a job in
gulf for fourteen years. In between he was imprisoned. But fortunately
he did not have to starve with the kind heart of his natives. In 1987
and 1991 when amnesty was declared he did not surrender himself to the
police. But that did not stay too long when he was finally caught by
them in 1998.
He was imprisoned for one month. The court questioned him why he refused
to go back to his native land when amnesty was declared. He replied that
he was helpless due to poor living conditions in his land. Later the
court of immigration took him. After the expiry of his visa, since he
stayed back he was fined heavily with 36,000 rupees for one year. His
advocate told if he had that money in hand he could have gone back to
his homeland. Unfortunately his destiny again was reverse. He was again
imprisoned for one month. Later he was sent to Mumbai. But he did not go
back to his homeland.
In search of missing ones
In between Alavi’s family searched for him in many ways. But it was
fruitless. Those people who absconded like Fathima and Alavi were
brought back to their homeland by the workers of a channel. It deserves
special mention and commendation, the people who worked for the
programme ’Pravasilokam’.
May 11, 2008
Subin Mananthavady from Wayanad is a
journalist and has worked as a reporter/sub-editor with Thejas Daily. He
writings focus on rural and social issues. He can be contacted at
subinmdy@gmail.com
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