Kerala, once a dream now a dilemma for expats returning home

Expats from Kerala in the Gulf can easily take general strikes and hartals in their stride, though they might mutter about what these disruptions would mean for the Indian state’s economy and businesses. But not for a moment would these NRKs (Non-Resident Keralites) not think about moving back to their homes and hometowns once their time in the Gulf is done.

That was the pull Kerala would exert on the majority of those who were born there and left to find a job outside. It is a place that creates memories of the type that lingers on.

But those memories and dreams of a retired life spent in splendour are getting a rude wake-up call for Kerala’s legions of expats (me being one of them).

If it’s not a shockingly vile murder that gets blanket coverage on TV and online platforms, then it’s the easy availability of recreational drugs in Kerala that is creating a sense of dread. And a sinking feeling that will not be washed away.

Sure, the Kerala Police have been spreading out through the state, trying to bust the handlers and drug supply chains. A lot of noise has been created through these actions, and some of the drug sellers have been paraded about in the hope that it will instil fear in others.

But, has the Kerala Police actually made a decisive move? Higher drug usage in campuses and business hubs has been talked about for 3-4 years now. If anyone needs proof, all they need to do is actually talk to the higher-ups in drug rehabilitation centres in the state. And what they have to say is dire, with lives wasted and families and relationships sunders by the intake or injection of a psychotropic substance that should not be this easily available.

All this time, there have been the occasional busts at New Year's Eve parties and the like. They create a buzz of publicity if the arrested happen to be starlets or minor celebrities. (These days anyone with a YouTube channel counts as a celeb.)

How many of these users and drug peddlers have been given proper sentences or fines? Has the Kerala Police even managed to cut the supplies beyond what’s available on the street or through shady deals done in the confines of a hotel room?

As with any problem, the state authorities are yet to give a clear picture of the level of the problem the state and its citizens face. The one line that anyone asking will get is that the drug menace is not as prevalent as in some of the other states in India.

Now, that’s as inexcusable a reason as any. Yes, other Indian states are facing their own version of the drug menace spiral, and this could require a drastic overall of the state and central apparatus to counter it -something that even the US is having problems with.

As for expat Keralites, they are watching all this and mulling whether they actually want to send their children to study in a school or college in Kerala. What would that mean to the many engineering colleges that spawned like mushrooms over the last 10 years? Will another ‘industry’ that Kerala has created – private educational institutions – see less of a take up for seats, especially from the wealthy Kerala expats in the Gulf?

The issue doesn’t end there. Will a 40-something Keralite in the Gulf look at property options in the state for their retirement or prefer the safety of a managed residential community in a neighbouring state? A place where safety can be guaranteed 24x7, 365 days.

The state of Kerala has enough issues to deal with. Grappling with a drug problem and its many fallouts is the last thing anyone wants to take on.