Kerala Gulf diaspora

ഗൾഫ് മലയാളി
Gulf Malayali

Total population
2.5 million (est.)
Regions with significant populations
UAE 773,624 [1]  Saudi Arabia 447,440 [1]  Kuwait 134,728 [1]  Oman 134,019 [1]  Qatar 94,310 [1]  Bahrain 58,146 [1]
Languages
Malayalam (മലയാളം)
Religion
Islam, Christianity, Hinduism

The Kerala Gulf diaspora refers to the people of Kerala living in the Middle eastern Arab states of the Persian Gulf. They number more than 2.5 million as of 2008.

The Gulf Boom

It refers to the mass migration of a large number of people from the Indian state of Kerala to the Gulf Countries from 1972 to 1983.^[2] Though migration of Malayalis, the people of Kerala to the Gulf Countries continue to the present day, this initial wave of migration is usually referred to as the Kerala Gulf Boom. As of 2008, the Gulf countries altogether have a Keralite population of more than 2.5 million, who send home annually a sum of USD 6.81 billion,^[3] which is more than 15.13% of the total Remittance to India in 2008.

Background

Huge Oil reserves were discovered in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf in the 1930s, and commercial extraction began in the early 1950s. Soon, these countries became the major Oil exporting countries of the world, and amassed huge riches within a short span of years, a feat that perhaps have no historical rival. However, these nations were handicapped by small population and thin labor force with low level of skills. Thus, they had to open the doors wide to non national manpower at all skill levels, to meet the challenge. India who was teeming with unemployment rallied in the race to grab the opportunity, with Kerala in the forefront. Historical ties and religious identity of certain sections of the population helped to forge a bond with Gulf Countries.

Effect of migrations in Kerala

As Migrants began to send money back home, it rapidly penetrated into all walks of life. This contributed to a substantial rise in the standard of living of the people of Kerala. Gulf migrants, most of whom were from the working and the lower middle classes had gradually been gaining social status. A myth was in the making- myth of the 'Gulf man'. Gulf migrants were highly sought after as bridegrooms. Their attractive earnings, irrespective of their shortcomings, enabled them to marry into wealthy and respected families.

See also

• Migrant labourers in Kerala

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Zachariah, K. C. & Rajan, S. Irudaya (2008), Kerala Migration Survey 2007 (PDF), Department of Non-resident Keralite Affairs, Government of Kerala, p. 48. This is the number of emigrants from Kerala, which is closely related to but different from the actual number of Malayalis.
2. ^ Gulf Dream: For Indians The Golden Beaches Still gleam, Malayala Manorama Yearbook 1990;
3. ^ GCC residency cap may force lakhs to return by Biju Govind; The Hindu - Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008

External links

• Chapter 4: Middle Eastern Migration From Kerala, Prema Kurien, Kaleidoscopic ethnicity: international migration and the reconstruction of community identities in India,Rutgers University Press, 2002
• A Socio-Cultural Perspective on Migration and Economic Development: Middle Eastern Migration from Kerala, India ,Prema A. Kurien ,Syracuse University
• Chapter 9,“I am Gulf”: The production of cosmopolitanism among the Koyas of Kozhikode, Kerala, Filippo Osella, University of Sussex & Caroline Osella, SOAS, University of London