KASARAGOD: Among those eagerly awaiting the release of director Blessy’s new film, The Goat Life, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, is N Ashok. The plot of the movie, which premieres later this month, inspired the taxi driver from Kanhangad to recount a similar episode in his life when he was tricked by an agent and forced to graze sheep in Saudi Arabia.
“It was Kanayi Balakrishnan, a tailor in Cheemeni, who told me about the visa for a salesman at a vegetable market in Saudi Arabia, says Ashok. “The visa application was made through an agent named Jose in Kannur. An amount of Rs 40,000 was handed over to Jose in instalments by mortgaging the house and land. There was nine other people from Kanhangad who applied for the visa. We were taken to Mumbai multiple times for medical check-ups. Only two of us finally made it,” he reminisces.
In December 1992, upon his arrival in Gulf country, Ashok was taken to the residence of his Saudi sponsor. The following day, he was transported to a farm in Al Nariyah, where he was assigned the task of tending to sheep and camels. Upon grasping the deceit, he became frequently unwell. The farm in the desert was owned by a Kuwaiti. The keeper, a Bangladeshi, came to Ashok’s aid, extending him support and solace.
“The landscape was dominated by farms. The Bangladeshis prepared the meals, but I was unable to adjust to the food. I restricted myself to eating kuboos, an Arabic flatbread, after soaking it in water, and drank water from a tanker brought for the purpose of farm work. I grazed the herds for a few days before my condition worsened. I confined myself to the tent,” Ashok recounted.
“My sponsor used to visit the farm once in a while. And during one such visit, he noticed me in the tent. He moved me to his house, where I was kept in a locked room. He began beating me and behaving like a savage. He kept repeating that he had paid my agent good money and that he would not release me without me complying to the contract. There was no telephone, post office, or any other facilities nearby. I spent close to two months at the farm.”
Ashok received help from a Malayali maid working at his sponsor’s house. She kept feeding him secretly. She relayed Ashok’s plight to a food-delivery guy named Justin, who was also from Kerala and worked in a supermarket owned by the sponsor.
As luck would have it, the sponsor decided to allow Ashok to work in his shop. Once there, Justin helped him contact police. At the police station, he met Sashi, another Malayali who supplies tea to officers. “He helped me with the translation. An officer escorted me to the house of my sponsor to confirm the details of my visa. It was then that I realised I had been recruited as a sheepherder. Subsequently, the officer inquired whether I desired to remain in my job, to which I responded in the negative.”
Subsequently, Saudi police reached out to the Kuwaiti farm owner, who took a week to reach Saudi Arabia. The visa cancellation process took nearly a month, during which time Ashok lived with Justin. Ashok reached out to relatives and acquaintances from his hometown residing in Al Azhar. They chipped in with funds for a flight ticket to Mumbai.
“Upon returning home after three months, in March 1993, I was so emaciated that even my family failed to recognise me. It came to light that Jose, the agent, had deceived not only me but also eight others by withholding visas and absconding with their money. We reported the matter to police. Tragically, two of the victims took their own lives. Balakrishnan also went into hiding.”
“It’s the trailer of The Goat Life that inspired me recount my experience,” Ashok adds.