Arabikkuthira: The Evolution of Honor
A Malayalam novel set in Mumbai that explores the dubious world of flesh trade that happens in the guise of Gulf recruitment.
A Malayalam version of this post is available here.
The relationship of Kerala with the Middle East is historical. From time immemorial, spices that were exported from our coasts used to reach Arabia and from there to parts of Europe. This trade has tremendously influenced the social and economic history of Kerala. The exodus of the people of Kerala looking for employment after oil was discovered in the Gulf was a sequel to this.
When the society was plagued with flood, famine, and joblessness, a generation of Malayalees reached the Gulf and toiled in its deserts. Following them, a lot of young people made their lives in the Middle East. Several families were saved from poverty and bankruptcy. But all the stories didn't have a good resolution. Many people were trapped by exploitative sponsors and inhumane employers to work in slave-like conditions. Many were entangled in the strict and inflexible laws and languished in prisons. There were some who were defrauded by dubious visa agents and lost all their savings, forced to forgo their dreams of a Gulf job.
As is the case with any social issue, women became the biggest victims. Many who went as maids were exploited. Many became sex workers due to family obligations. Human trafficking rackets became prevalent even in the remotest villages of Kerala. The Malayalam novel Arabikkuthira (The Arabian Horse) by Hassan Nasir, published by Chintha Publishers in 2017, openly exposes this world to readers. The plot is inspired by the different experiences of the writer while he stayed in Mumbai for ten months for a visa.
Kunjimoosa is a hustler who is trying to earn a living by hook or crook in Mumbai city. One day he sees the wife of his Quraan teacher, who has come from his village for a chance to go to the Middle East as a maid. After her husband's death, the responsibility to marry off three girls falls on her. Kunjimoosa realizes she is being deceived and rescues her from the clutches of fraudulent agents. He takes up her responsibility and realizes there is only one way to solve her issues.
We realize the intended meaning of the title of the book only towards the end, and it leaves a stabbing pain. The writer is successful in convincing us that the character evolution of Nabeesu and the end of her innocence can only have one outcome. The novel establishes that the real culprits are the community that always places an exorbitant value on the chastity of women while never bothering to support her in preserving it.
Kunjimoosa turns out to be the catalyst in the evolutionary tale of Nabeesu. There are times when we feel that he is selfish and is even betraying her. But while we travel through his character arc, we realize his helplessness. He can only move according to the ways of Mumbai and within the boundaries set by his community and society. Even when we finally close the book after reading, we feel that we haven't yet known his story fully.
The third important character of the novel is Mumbai city. Initially the city feels terrifying, like a mammoth torture device. But as the reading progresses, we see different colors of it. At some point we realize that the city is an eventual refuge of people who escape the abuse of the villages, like Moosa and Nabeesu. The city looks appalling because it is created from the collective trauma of these survivors.
The novel is so deeply rooted in reality that it never bothers to provide any relief to its readers. Its open and candid style may even be nauseating for certain readers who prefer sugar-coating in their fiction. The conversation between characters sometimes becomes long-winded discussions, which leads to a break in the narrative flow. This happens at the expense of losing its immersive quality.
Still, the honesty of the writer, the expertise with which he weaves a fictional universe rooted in stark reality, certain interesting perspectives about concepts like chastity, morality, and righteousness, and the complex characterization that refuses to let go of the readers make the book an important reading experience.