Goat Days

What do most of us think of when one of our friends or family members says, "Hey, I got a job in foreign"? Most of us will think, "He or she got employment abroad, and they'll rapidly become millionaires." Isn't it? However, we don’t know the other side of the story. The difficulties in their jobs, the language, the people they encounter, and so forth. In the book Goat Days, the author Benyamin depicts the struggles faced by Najeeb, who went to Saudi Arabia in search of a job. It’s based on a true story that happened in the late 1990s.

Najeeb is from a typical Keralan family. He lived with his pregnant wife, Sainu, and his mother. He chose to take a job in a foreign country to increase his income because he needed more money to support his family. He traveled to Saudi Arabia with a lot of dreams after receiving a visa from his cousin. But he experienced a significant turn in life. After arriving in Saudi Arabia, he was brought to a goat farm. He was pushed inside the goat farm by his Arbab (owner), who gave him some worn-out, ripped garments to wear.

Imagine yourself in the middle of a desert with no idea where you are, no knowledge of the local language, no friends, and nothing but sand in front of you. You must spend the night in the open desert next to a goat farm because you have no shelter. And you realize that being a shepherd is what you were supposed to do. How will you react? Najeeb was in a similar circumstance.

Najeeb did not receive proper clothing, wholesome food, or drink. To get his dinner (which is 3 or 4 Kuboos), all he had to do was work all day. Water use was prohibited for him. He can take in a maximum of two jars of water. He is unable to bathe or clean himself with water. Being a native of God's own nation (Kerala), water is an integral part of his life. But he cannot use water in this location to meet his demands.

Najeeb’s day started with goats and ended with goats. He ate the paddy that was given to the goat whenever he was hungry. He drank the water reserved for the goat. He slept next to a goat to stay warm. He changed into a goat himself. He gave the goats various names based on their personalities, using the names of people he knew in his native country. Among them were Nabil, Aravu Rauthar, Merrymai Muna, and Ramani.

He was unable to escape his Arbab. When he tried to flee, his Arbab could easily see him through his telescope and capture him because the area was a desert and remote from a city. When he gets caught, he endures a barrage of kicks and brutal beatings. In addition, Arbab had a gun, which Najeeb feared more. His belief in God and will to live were Najeeb's primary sources of hope.

This book included information on the desert's climatic conditions, wildlife, the longstanding practice of slavery in Arab nations, and how people are treated as slaves. This novel is packed full of Najeeb's suffering. His experience as a shepherd, the challenges he encountered, his determination to survive, etc. How did he escape the location? Who helped him? How did he return to India? Whether he was able to meet his family? These questions add to the intrigue of reading this book. This book can teach us how precious our lives are and how one can approach them with hope.

As Albert Einstein rightly quoted, "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.

"Happy reading 😊