Most of them are either closed or on the verge of it. As a result of migration, the erstwhile traditional economy was replaced by chains of shops with foreign goods, restaurants serving Arabian cuisines, furniture marts, fashion shops and so on. Travel through Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts shows shops along the state and national highways lying closed or deserted.īusiness used to thrive during the boom days. And an equal number are getting closed every month as the crisis in West Asia and the devastation caused by the floods in August destroyed the local economy, which was mostly dependent on the foreign remittances. Hundreds of shops are being opened every month in the Gulf pockets with scant attention to feasibility of the business. Most of them are, therefore, trying to venture into business,” says Haneefa. Unfortunately, the emigrants who enjoyed a higher status in society are not ready to ‘compromise’.

If they are ready to do the job now being done by these workers, all the returnees can be gainfully employed. “As per studies, there are about three million in-migrants in Kerala at this time. Haneefa Munniyoor, general secretary of Pravasi League, a migrant wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), says the main problem with the returnees is their reluctance to do manual labour, which is currently being done by migrants from north and north-eastern states. The scope for providing jobs to the returnees, who are mostly looking for white-collar work, is limited since Kerala is grappling with the highest rate of educated unemployment in the country. This is the fate of thousands of Keralites, who have returned from West Asia with their Gulf dreams shattered.

The arabian nightmare