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A bittersweet Eid: The silent tears of expatriates abroad
As the calendar marks the arrival of Eid-ul-Fitr and a wave of joy sweeps across Bangladesh, a starkly different scene unfolds in gray factories and under the scorching desert sun. For millions of expatriate workers, Eid is not a day of celebration, but a day of heavy sighs and pillows soaked in silent tears.
Driven by the necessity of livelihood, those who have severed the ties of proximity to their homeland find that Eid serves only as a poignant reminder of their isolation.
An expatriate’s Eid begins mechanically. There is no waking up to the sweet aroma of a mother’s handmade vermicelli. When a father gazes at his child’s smiling face through a small mobile screen, his own smile hides a mountain of pain.
When an elderly mother asks over the phone, "Baba, what did you eat?", the migrant worker’s voice chokes. Hiding his tears, he barely manages to reply, "Ma, I am doing great, I’ve cooked so many things with my friends."
The same person who may never have cleared their own plate back home is often found stirring a large pot of meat on Eid morning. Yet, the familiar taste of home is always missing, leaving a void that no amount of spices can fill.
Even when sitting at a table with friends, the absence of a mother, wife, or child sits as heavy as a stone. In their hearts, they wish they could have shared a single morsel of that meal with their own children.
Expatriates are the magicians of the national economy; they keep the pockets of their loved ones full while their own remain empty. Through grueling overtime, they fund a sister’s new saree or a brother’s dream bike, often forgoing even a new shirt for themselves to ensure their family’s happiness.
Spending the afternoon alone on a park bench, they are haunted by the colorful memories of walking to the Eidgah while holding their father’s hand.
Eid in a foreign land lacks color and fragrance. It is defined by returning home exhausted and worrying about the next day’s labor. Looking up at the ceiling at night, the migrant worker wonders how many more Eids will pass in solitude.
Sending every ounce of happiness back home while carrying a desert of loneliness in their hearts--this remains the bittersweet reality of life abroad.
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; 01550707296 Advertisement: 41053012; 01550707291
E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; 01550707296 Advertisement: 41053012; 01550707291
E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]
