Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — While many residency law violators of different nationalities are leaving Saudi Arabia taking advantage of the ongoing general amnesty, the extreme case of an Indian who has lived in the deserts for 24 years explains what it means to be an illegal worker in the Kingdom. The life of Gana Prakasam Rajamariyan, 52, was full of tragic twists whether in the Saudi deserts or back in his native Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, India. Rajamariyan spent 24 years in the desert, without going home for once. He did not even visit Hail, his nearest city, until the general amnesty was announced by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif as part of the Interior Ministry's "A Nation Without Illegal Expats" campaign. Rajamariyan came to Saudi Arabia in August 1994 to work as a farm hand in a remote village in Hail province. He said he was paid only SR100 a month for six months by his first employer. He was then "transferred or gifted" to another employer and a third a few months later. "Of the three employers, I was not sure which one was my sponsor. Above all, I did not receive any salary from them, so I decided to abscond and live illegally out of compulsion," Rajamariyan told Saudi Gazette. He said his destiny was the deserts where he spent half of his life. "My four daughters were very young when I left home. Now when I return, I have grandchildren of the same age," he said. Rajamariyan said he was able to marry off three of his four daughters with his little earnings in the Kingdom. He said did not own a house nor did he have the Adhaar card or a voter ID, all of which were introduced after he left the country. Rajamariyan made his last phone call to his wife, Ronikyam, before she was admitted to hospital in 2015. After that he did not call her as she was not able to speak. She died a year later. When asked why he did not avail of a similar amnesty in 2013, he said he was bed-ridden at the time and was not able to move after meeting with an accident. Rajamariyan has completed all formalities for his return home with the help of Hail-based social worker Sarfuddin Thayyil. He hopes to leave the Kingdom shortly ending 24 years of desert life in Saudi Arabia.
