The first Gulf journey, 1976

A ship from Beypore, a visa from a stranger's kindness, and a new chapter.

In 1976 the eldest grandson left Beypore with a tin trunk and his mother's dua.

The voyage took days; he shared rice and dried fish with fellow travellers.

In Dubai he worked as a storekeeper, sending money orders home every month.

Those remittances repaired the roof and educated three younger cousins.

Now dozens of us work in Dubai, Doha, Riyadh and Muscat, but we remember that first trunk.