A Lady’s Sun Set in Saudia

 

Shining eyes behind the veils savor;

Golden globe behind the shining clouds.

Hidden behind the veils,

The spirits get  the fire.

The warmth and beauty reach out

After the veils.

The veil grows clear as,

Rays sparkle in through the clouds.

The veils flutters in slow rhythm,

As Scarlet cloudlets fly apart.

The veil grows darker,

The splendor plummets into safe horizon.

Gaddama Didn't Tell It...

There are many movies based on life at the Middle East. I wasn’t very interested in these movies than any other outsider, prior to my two years stay at Saudi Arabia. As I planned my trip to Riyadh, my apprehensions were on its peak. Thanks to the various books, articles and above all movies-I felt like I was boarding the plane to the hell on my first flight to Riyadh.

After my life here, now I start to think. There is a curious way in which many movies have portrayed the Saudi culture-A mad slaughter house! Is that really so? I am planning to analyze some of the movies that I get a chance to watch about Middle East Culture.

On the previous months, Malayalam movie reviews were raving about the movie Gaddama.  Those who are not familiar with the movie can get a brief about it in Wikipedia. 

The movie which has already been shortlisted for many awards is indeed a good attempt to show the lives of many housemaids who had to face terrible hardships in a foreign land. When I appreciate this attempt and applaud the motive behind it, I cannot pretend to see some terrible mistakes in its theme.

First and foremost is the reference to the Burqa system in Riyadh. As the protagonist arrives at the airport and waits for her sponsor, another woman acquaints her. The latter advises the heroine that no one can get out of the airport without covering their heads. I just thought, “What nonsense?” Even if one argue about the status of a housemaid is different from that of a housewife, I’ve seen the housemaids walking out the doors of airport flaunting their costumes.

Secondly, the acquaintance asks the heroine to remove her sandal paste from the forehead. My dear friends, no one will beat you up here for having that mark on your forehead. Moreover the heroine is sitting at the airport, where various people from various countries happily walk around. I felt that these two stunts are just to evoke the feeling of Riyadh in the spectator’s view.

Then, what happened after Aswathi (the heroine) reaches her sponsor’s villa? Everyone mistreat her! The spectator will get the feel that either Arabs are extremely violent people or that entire family is mad. Most of the people who watched the movie easily stick to the first notion. 

But, before you throw stones at all Arabs for mistreating their housemaids, it would be good to read the experience of the drama artist Nilamboor Ayesha. She worked as a housemaid in Riyadh for several years and has good memories of her employers. They actually helped to recover her family from destruction while her own natives backed out from it. (Courtesy: Interview with Nilamboor Ayesha: Vanita Magazine-February 15, 2011).

It is essential to look at situation of sponsors who bring the housemaids to Riyadh too. In order to protect the condition of housemaids in the Kingdom, the government takes SR 17000 from the sponsors to bring housemaids from other countries. However many housemaids choose to work as freelancers after a few months of their work at the sponsor’s house. No one can stop them since they are legally rightful to work in the country. Many sponsors naturally turn violent in these situations.

Also, all the housemaids are not as innocent as Aswathi in the movie. One year before, a couple had been detained in Saudi prison by a complaint from their maid. After two months of torture in the prison and separation from their infants, the couple proved to be innocent. The maid had brought her secret lover to her employers' house, which had been discovered. She was about to be deported at the time she put forward the complaint and trapped her sponsors.

Thirdly, the movie has made a serious crime in depicting the natives in dark shade. Aswathi escapes from her employer’s house only to be hunted by native womanizers, blind law and violent prison life. It seems like the country is damned place with only negative things around it and only Kerlaites are the angels in this hell. Is that true?

I personally know many people who benefit out of kind Arabs, who help their employees beyond levels. I have also heard about the people who come here to make money and ready to stab anyone for that!  There are good and bad people everywhere. It’s really an offence to show an entire race in a dark shade through a popular public media.

I don’t deny the fact that stories like Aswathy’s don’t happen in Saudi Arabia. In the end, can I ask one thing? Is this harassment of housemaids happening only in Saudi Arabia? Isn’t it only three months back that a 11-year old servant girl got killed in the God’s Own country? When people get shocked about the life of housemaids in Saudi Arabia, are they ignorant of these crimes in own soil?

Now, let me have my thought about Kavya Madhavan’s acting as Gaddama. I personally feel that she had done better roles than this. When the movie was getting released, there was a trailer with the caption-When she acted the life that she had to live. (Translation of Malayalam: Aë`hn¨ PohnXw A`n\bnt¡­n h¶t¸mÄ!). Really cheesy, isn’t it? Over all, the movie can be watched for once. In Malluwood, where there is scarcity for good movies, this movie will definitely stand as the Queen among the ugly ducklings. 

Well, I’ve wrote this much not because I close my eyes towards the atrocities that happen in Saudi Arabia. Shocking incidents like these do happen in the country just as it happen in any other country. That does not mean that all people in K.S.A are violent and barbaric. There are good people among them as much as bad people among other countries.

I don’t say that whatever they do are right. But we should have some concern about the countries that still serve as a major source of-financial support for our country, life for many of our people and provide ample opportunities for who deserve it. Here is my request to all the artistic creators- You are doing a great thing by showing facts and thus creating awareness. But don’t add spice to it and twist the facts. There are always two sides for the coin and never show only the worn out side.

A Look Inside and Outside Abaya 2

 Continues from A Look Inside and Outside Abaya

Yet, it would be untrue if I tell that I never missed the times without Abayas. Whenever we had to go for some parties and dress up properly, I always checked if there is an opportunity to remove Abaya at the party hall. I also regretted on my baby’s first birthday party, when I put on the saree and had to wear Abaya above it. Thankfully, I had to do so till I reach the party hall. 

You may call it the vanity of a woman to show off, but on some days, I would feel like dressing up and not wearing Abaya! Mutaween thrice instructed Sreejith to cover my head. Though not harmful I got irritated with the feeling “Who are they to decide?” Apart from these, I was quite ok with Abaya. 

But teenagers have another point to note. In an age when they wish all eyes to be on them, it’s a punishment for them to cloak under dark attire. I’ve seen many teenagers open their Abayas in the front and wear them as a coat flaunting their fabulous attires beneath.

These are the experiences of a Hindu woman in Saudi Arabia. But, Muslim women are not free as me since they have some religious rules to abide. Some of them happily oblige to the rules believing that one should not judge them with their looks or attire but by their actions. But there is an argument against this. Many other women feel that, it is a way to identify women in derogatory term ‘woman’ and not as individuals.  

There is also a rumor that many women must be so ugly to reveal their face. That may be the reason behind niqab. This doubt was clarified to me as I had a chance to see their faces in Ladies’ quarters since many of them are stunning beauties. Many native women wear the trendiest attires under the Abaya and some not at all. However, one thing should not be neglected-someone should really teach many of them the basic lessons of hygiene. Be in Abaya or outside, they should know how to clean themselves!

Talking about hygiene there is a view that is quite repelling for me. Many women slip juice and food (especially noodles) under their hijab at the family restaurants. The food would be spilled on their dress and must be trickling in many situations. In those moments, I just wonder “Why can’t they be a little neat and have the food normally?”

Last week, a woman smuggled some of the items from a famous department store in Riyadh. She stored everything under the Abaya and stepped put. However her Abaya couldn’t fool the security alarm since it beeped out. Almost one hour lapsed for the proceedings of the store, since the women police had to come for the inspection of the lady. The shopkeepers assert that Abayas are thus a great headache for them in these situations. 

These are some pros and cons of Abayas that I assumed during my one year stay at Riyadh. As per my knowledge these are the simple truths about Abayas than the many horrifying rumors spread about them.

Well, my dear ones, I didn’t regret wearing the Abaya. Most of the things that you fear from outside can be comfortable when you get in. And for those who doubt on whether I would wear an Abaya in India, my answer is “No.” I can get into a culture and accept their routines as my own as long as they host me. But, in my country I am free to have my own choice and be my own!

A Look Inside and Outside Abaya

O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the women of the faithful, to draw their wraps over them. They will thus be recognised and no harm will come to them. God is forgiving and kind.

                                                                                                             Quran 33:59

“Going to Saudi? Oh, my God! You’ll have to wear Burqa there...”

“Oh my God, I can’t imagine you in that unhygienic attire. You’ll be stinking in that black dress in the desert.”

“See, Saudi is quite a mad country. You will have to clad completely in Burqa. When you are outside, you can show only your eyes. Even for going from one apartment to another in the same building, you’ll have to wear Burqa. They’ll make such a fuss even if a strand of your hair is shown outside.”

“Better wear black Salwar Kameez with long sleeves when you go to Saudi. Cover you head with the scarf. Ask your husband to bring Burqa to the airport. They’ll detain you otherwise.”

When my travel plans from India to Saudi Arabia was on, these were some instructions given to me by people who had been to or heard about Saudi Arabia. Even I, who had browsed about the country that I was going to live for some years, was horrified with this bit of knowledge. As per instructions, I clad myself in black Salwar Kameez with long sleeves and set forth with all apprehensions. I had also insisted that my husband should bring Burqa to the airport.

Sreejith came with the family friends Appuetan (Thrivikraman) and Sudeep to receive me at the King Khalid international Airport. All along my time at the airport, I felt that people were staring at me for not wearing Burqa. Appuetan and Sudeep shunned away my fears. They were in Riyadh for more than 10 years and assured that there is no need to wear Abaya on the way to and back from international travels.

My fears were not completely annihilated. I was arguing with Sreejith for not buying  the head scarf and face cover (later I learnt that their names are niqāb and hijab respectively), when another family friends came in.  The woman in the gang assured me that you have to wear only Burqa as mandatory. You can wear the shawl in the neck unless or until the Mutaween spot you and ask you to cover the hair. Still, that’s not dangerous since they won’t talk to you directly but only to your husband. You never have to wear niqāb and hijab by rule.  Keerthi also updated me that in Saudi Arabia, Burqa is referred as ‘Abaya.’ 

Honestly I didn’t trust her words completely. But the same evening, we went to the super market for shopping. That very first evening in Riyadh, I started to love Abaya and realized some of its advantages. The sand storm was in its strength when we stepped out from the car. The long cloak protected our body and without anyone’s instruction or demand, we automatically covered our head and face. I sense that in the old days, Abaya must have worn by native women to protect themselves from these sand storms, which are frequent in the desert.

Inside the mall, I found out many women in Abayas and without niqāb and hijab. Soon, I got used with the garment and many months passed without any hassle about Abaya.  As of visiting the friends in the same apartment, we never concerned about wearing Abaya. Even the Islamic women from India roamed around freely in the house dress in our apartment building.

As time went I found Abaya really useful whenever I have to go the nearby department store. Imagine yourself going to the department store in your cotton pants and house T-shirt. It is possible only under the protection of Abaya. Also, I remember the time, when I had the severe rheumatic attack and could go out just by putting the Abaya around my nightdress.  Soon, Abaya made me forget about my costume selection whenever I have to go out!

Since Abaya plays a main role in Saudi, there are some Abaya stores in the country set out to create trends in these garments too. There are many designer Abayas that are quite expensive and worth a catch. The designer Abayas might entice even those who argue against it. I was quite stunned by the hues and designs on the black garment on my first visit to an Abaya shop. They come in various materials too. When it’s prohibited for Muslim women to shape their Abayas, others can do so! Also, anyone can go and stitch Abayas in accordance to their body shape too. Normally Abaya appear in black colour, but I’ve spotted some women wearing the colourful ones too. 

During our shopping extravaganzas, we found that there is a special detergent especially available to wash Abaya. The Abaya cleaner with the soothing scent became our favourite not only for Abayas but for all our black dresses.  The feeling was so fresh to wear the Abayas after a wash in this detergent.

Yet, it would be untrue if I tell that I never missed the times without Abayas. Continues

Scary Stories Of Saudia

‘Saudi Arabia’- the name of the country itself scares many people around the world. When many of my friends and well wishers considered visiting the country itself a nightmare, destiny made me courageous to visit its capital city-Riyadh. Soon I was willingly falling into its lazy and relaxed life.

Air conditioned rooms, easy availability of all my favourite cuisines, a room with large windows to read in comfort, a home theatre to watch the latest movies, cosy bed to curl on in the afternoons, the large room to chat with the visitors, a good internet connection to chat with my friends back at home, a treadmill to work out whenever I feel to keep my shape, a room full of toys for me and little Shreya to explore, a good park just outside our apartment for evening walks, our shopping sessions in different malls, no nosy business to hamper our family life...what else I want to enjoy the life out here?

However, this comfort zone got alerted even before I begin to enjoy it. Two days back, Sree came home with a swollen face. When some of the native youth found it fun to throw rotten eggs at non-Arabs walking on their roads, he was one among the many victims whom they targeted on. Nobody attacked him in particular. He was just another victim of racial attack against the non-Arabs in Saudi Arabia.

We were definitely shaken to alert our friends and relatives here. Soon, the real stories were unveiling. It was just at the entrance of our flat that the Arabs manhandled our previous owner. They put him at knife point and looted all the money, mobile, groceries and wristwatch that he carried.

Our elder friends had another story to share. When they had a get together once, someone tipped them off to the Mutavas (Moral/Religious Police). The severe punishment followed in the form of beatings on our friends’ backs. The victims included elderly people above 70 years of old and even a Professor who taught the Princes at the King Saud University.

***

Now, with all these I was actually shivering when I was waiting for Sree in the safety of our locked car at the parking lot. I was breathing a sigh of relief as he started the car... Bang! Our car had hit another one, just in front of us! I could see three young Arabs jumping out of the car. This was the moment I always scared! I knew our story is ending here...

Then...My vision was blurred as they were shaking hands with Sree. They all had smiling faces, in total contrast to the cony faces, I always imagined. They were friendly as we waited for the traffic police. Of course the mistake was on our side and we had to settle their damage through the insurance. But...the victims are Arabs! We are at Riyadh! Still we are left safe with a hit on our car!!!

This incident was an eye opener for me. Would we’ve left this easy, after a similar encounter with natives of Bangalore? Is India more safe than Saudi with natives attacking people coming from other states? Though we had no personal physical attack at Bangalore, I had been the victim of verbal racial attacks from some natives of Bangalore. Also some our friends had attacked physically by Bangalore natives too.

I have this solace now. No place is immune to troubles. At the same time I can find some rays of happiness at all places too. The happiness may be a mirage in the desert, but each and everyone has their own thread to cling onto a place. Once we find this thread, no scary story will stop you from enjoying the life out there.

Wherever I live in, that place doesn’t belong to me forever. I had left my birthplace and arrived at a new place. I had perceptions about the new place inscribed in my mind by others .I grew my own concepts about this new place during the stay out there and started to feel it as a home away from home. Soon, I had to leave the place to another new one. Here I am ready to impart my prescriptions about the place to its newcomers. The process continues...

The Chinese Taste In Riyadh

Craving for the Chinese cuisine in Riyadh? Well, Indians in Riyadh should think once again before heading towards the next Chinese Restaurant signal. While the largest city, of Saudi Arabia boasts many food outlets for experiments with your palate, Indians find it difficult to locate a good Chinese Restaurant here.

The first Chinese Restaurant that we tried in Riyadh was the Riyadh Chinese Restaurant at Sulaimaniya Thalatheen. The well furnished ambience and friendly staff gave us the impression that our search for Chinese food at Riyadh has been fulfilled. However as we’d opened the menu itself, we could find the difference between the Chinese Restaurants in India and Riyadh.

Vegetarians find it really hard to locate a suitable dish from the limited cuisines. The interesting fact is that you can find the listings of ‘Shrimp Vegetarian Chopsuey’, ‘Beef Vegetarian Chopsuey’, and ‘Chicken Vegetarian Chopsuey’ etc. under the listing of Vegetarian Dishes. We also had a taste of Saudi Champagne and beer here. Riyadh is the only place where you get a chance to taste them in the form of apple juice.

The exquisite ambience in Riyadh Chinese Restaurant is remarkable. We enjoyed the open ambience in total contrast to the closed family sections in other Riyadh restaurants. There was another Kerala family sitting at the next table and they were arguing with the waiter to get a smoker out of the restaurant. Interestingly smoking is publicly allowed in Saudi Arabia. We waited for our food eavesdropping into their arguments.

Then the food arrived! Fried wontons, Corn soup, Fried Rice, Vegetable Chopsuey, Vegetable noodles and Chicken in hot sauce. While little Shreya enjoyed experimenting the food with knife and fork, we kept on asking for extra supply of sauces all through the meal. As we came out of the restaurant, we found ourselves loaded with parcels of leftover food. Now it is our turn to modify the food or to throw it away.

Well, we are not disheartened. There are few other Chinese restaurants that our friends have suggested for us. Our search continues...