Israel suspended the work permits of most Palestinian labourers in Oct. Indians became a top choice replace them. Tired of being jobless, 1000s of low skilled Indians migrated to war-torn Israel.
Gosh, I understood that in India marriages are often arranged, but I had no idea that it could be that you are forced to marry two people. Hard for me to comprehend. And I was surprised to read that men from India are being sent to Israel to work and the naivety of people not to know that there is a war going on between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians. Unfortunately we are living in an ever increasing state of conflict which is so sad. A great post. Thank you for sharing
I guess it takes fictions to make sense of the complexities in our lives and society. Reminded me of Kerala in the 80s and 90s when men went in large numbers to West Asia and rest of India for work and there were more women than men. A trend that still continues to this day in Kerala. Now I am wondering if there are books, novels or movies on this so that I can read them.
In the most popular book about this migration - Goatlife by Benyamin, the life of Sainu, wife of the main character who goes to Arabia is nowhere in the narrative. Here is an interview with the author that I remember reading where he was asked the question by a woman , Maya Vainu.
MV: The perspective and role of Sainu, Najeeb’s wife, is very minimal in Goat
Days. Was this done intentionally? Do you intend to write a novel with a female
protagonist voicing her distress about a husband trapped in Masara?
B: No, at least at this point I am not intending to write one. Even though
Sainu occupies very little space in the novel, she is the pillar of support, like
any quintessential Malayalee woman who gives endless hope and support to
her husband to go abroad. Even at a point when Najeeb is completely disillu-
sioned by the uncertainty of Gulf prospects, it is Sainu’s words and support
which offer solace and strength to Najeeb to steer [him] out of his delusions.
Sainu is amongst the scores of Malayalee women who played a great role
in [the] social engineering of the contemporary Kerala society. It was and still
is these women who single-handedly manage the household, take care of the
children and aged in the family, and take active participation in channelise-
ing [sic] investments and resources to proper places. Thus, they have done an
excellent job and on no account [can the] role of women like Sainu be side-
lined, as they have an equal contribution in the endeavour to achieve prosperity.
Hence the role of women like Sainu cannot be underestimated, as they play an
equally significant role in the strife for prosperity.
His answer leaves us wondering about what Sainu actually could've gone through.
This is very engaging. Thank you, Gopal. And yeah, the psychological and social costs of migration - as it stands - are not explored as much as they should be.
Gosh, I understood that in India marriages are often arranged, but I had no idea that it could be that you are forced to marry two people. Hard for me to comprehend. And I was surprised to read that men from India are being sent to Israel to work and the naivety of people not to know that there is a war going on between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians. Unfortunately we are living in an ever increasing state of conflict which is so sad. A great post. Thank you for sharing
I guess it takes fictions to make sense of the complexities in our lives and society. Reminded me of Kerala in the 80s and 90s when men went in large numbers to West Asia and rest of India for work and there were more women than men. A trend that still continues to this day in Kerala. Now I am wondering if there are books, novels or movies on this so that I can read them.
In the most popular book about this migration - Goatlife by Benyamin, the life of Sainu, wife of the main character who goes to Arabia is nowhere in the narrative. Here is an interview with the author that I remember reading where he was asked the question by a woman , Maya Vainu.
MV: The perspective and role of Sainu, Najeeb’s wife, is very minimal in Goat
Days. Was this done intentionally? Do you intend to write a novel with a female
protagonist voicing her distress about a husband trapped in Masara?
B: No, at least at this point I am not intending to write one. Even though
Sainu occupies very little space in the novel, she is the pillar of support, like
any quintessential Malayalee woman who gives endless hope and support to
her husband to go abroad. Even at a point when Najeeb is completely disillu-
sioned by the uncertainty of Gulf prospects, it is Sainu’s words and support
which offer solace and strength to Najeeb to steer [him] out of his delusions.
Sainu is amongst the scores of Malayalee women who played a great role
in [the] social engineering of the contemporary Kerala society. It was and still
is these women who single-handedly manage the household, take care of the
children and aged in the family, and take active participation in channelise-
ing [sic] investments and resources to proper places. Thus, they have done an
excellent job and on no account [can the] role of women like Sainu be side-
lined, as they have an equal contribution in the endeavour to achieve prosperity.
Hence the role of women like Sainu cannot be underestimated, as they play an
equally significant role in the strife for prosperity.
His answer leaves us wondering about what Sainu actually could've gone through.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jj.5233138.19?seq=8
This is very engaging. Thank you, Gopal. And yeah, the psychological and social costs of migration - as it stands - are not explored as much as they should be.
Beautifully written. And hits hard too.
Thank you for reading, Nandita!