Asmiya's journey

"Belgium Central was very classy. busy working hours. Belgium is famous for glass. Banded diamonds are generally exported from Belgium to the rest of the world. Belgium is also notorious for another thing. Human trafficking, refugee trafficking! It is the Tamils who stand in front of these. Tamils are very well versed in human trafficking. How many rows of barbed wire have been laid on the false roads leading to the harbours and container yards, who has to move whom and where, which route leads to where... these smugglers control all of the details. I look forward to a call from such a smuggler!

It felt like eating a cup of rice and curry. But, all the shops here are sandwiches and chips. It has been three days since I saw the rice. I have some Belgian money on hand. A handful of rice is seen on the plate of a diner at a nearby Turkish shop. I went close and saw. Potato chips, salad, a piece of fish, meat... a handful of rice where there is plenty. Hmmm... this won't work. There were no Indian or Pakistani shops within sight. Well, chips and cola and sandwiches are still the same today. I bought it and sat under the statue of a Dutchman on the road.

"Brother, are you Tamil?"

I looked forward to Asmiya's journey. Seeing my eyes, the girl sat next to me without waiting for an answer and started crying.

"Drink the cola!"

"No!"

"Chips?"

"No! Bro... Have you just come to London?"

"Om!"

It is almost certain that Tamils will come to Belgium, either as refugees or to go to London in a container.

She was crying between every word.

"Someone, Nathan! Still no one to be found! "

"You told me that name too." What is your name? "

"Fatima Asmiya."

"What?" - A shock wave ran through me. I don't understand why. Either the thought that Muslim women do not cross town like this, or that I have never met such people. The town is Trikonamalai. I didn't ask for your age. Maybe twenty. Continued questions would be intruding on her own affairs. I don't want that. It looks like she hasn't slept all night. The eyes were red. Even then, tears continued to fall from the eyes.

"Where are you staying, here?"

She pointed to the railway station. In Europe, women are free to stay like this. If this were another country, there would be no guarantee of her chastity. They will try to work again only after deteriorating. There was only one phone number to reach Nathan.

"Asmiya, have you showered?"

"No, it's been three days."

"First let's get rid of tiredness and fatigue. Only then will it be a little refreshing! “Saying that, I asked her to go and take a bath in the railway station pay bath.

She came after taking a bath. She was very beautiful. I bought the coffee. She drank a lot. Despite the cold, the sun was shining. We both sat on the cement bench. She spread her wet hair. It made her even more beautiful. After a few minutes of silence, she looked at me. Her eyes were watery. Tears broke and scattered. 'Don't cry', I put my hand on her head and pressed her for support. Vimmy Vimmy (sob) cried. She asked, leaning automatically on my shoulder. She has suffered a lot. The whimper, the cry, the empathy, the helplessness, all fell on my unacquainted shoulder and made her cry.

"I was born in Trikonamalai. Our mother and father have five children. I am third. Wappa (father) became a mouth when the last daughter was born. Difficulty at home after that. One fell in love with the elder sister and completed the nikah (marriage). My older sister is yet to get married. I fell in love with Navaneethan while I was studying. He is the one who called me to London. But Navaneethan could not call me directly from London. That is what the agency calls Navaneethan is good. But how difficult it is for me! " (– Vimmi Vimmi (Sob) cried out and continued again.

"Navaneethan tied the money to the agent and said, 'Bring Asmiya carefully to London.' There are no checks for sending money from Germany. But before I get through each night, I feel like I'm going crazy. I've been a lonely man with beer-drinking bartenders and smoking bros. This trip will not last longer. I wanted to lie on someone's lap and cry. "Sorry bro!" she said. I caressed her head gently.

A container journey to London is a life-threatening journey. In the eighties, it was easy for Tamils to fly to European countries. People who went to Europe in 1983 or thereabouts still say they were lucky. Then came many restrictions.

On the second day after that, we got a call from Nathan. "Us" means seven people, including me and Asmiya!

They took us in a car early in the morning when the cold and darkness persisted. Snow piled up like cotton balls in some places. There was snow in the sky, on the road, in the car, everywhere. The bitter cold set the teeth on edge. The people who came to pick us up had put on a good jacket against the cold. We are not used to anything. One of the visitors was continuously puffing on a cigarette.

"Here it is colder than Kazakhstan!" -said one of the seven while trembling. They have crossed many countries and come with a wealth of experience. The car ran for about 20 kilometres before stopping on a highway. To the right and to the left are huge farms. The goats stood still in the cold, sniffing the grass.

"Come slowly..."

We stooped down in the fields and walked slowly to soak our silken clothes in the icy water.

"Nice cold..." "The container driver will sleep well," said one. The cold was unbearable. How sweet is the snow of March in the town? The pointed grass plays coquettishly with the snow. But here they said that the frost that kills a man is minus eight degrees. It will go below that. Everything is stiff underneath. I didn't say snow like this. What is going to happen? I wore three pants, one above the other. Everything is wet.

Asmiya was next to me. There was a sad look on her face. No one said anything. We were running at the behest of our container shipper. How do Tamils find fake ways? Where has our country... where has Belgium gone?Ammayya often says that the white man is wise. What's smart? A Tamilian is the smartest to load only one person in a container this evening!

Come one by one - only the order came from the darkness. They climb one by one. I sent Asmiya ahead of me. Next is me. I looked back a bit.

‘Climb without looking at the outside’

It is a railway station. Containers stretched out like cargo boxes. All are containers covered with fabric or rex. They carefully removed the side clips and loaded the men one by one. When I was the last person to board, there was limited space inside. Rolls of paper bundles were strewn throughout the container. "It's going to London," someone said in a hoarse voice.

Nothing is visible from outside. The dawn is visible. Rex's looked like a kind of sackcloth. As a container, breathing is not a problem. But it was cold. They told me not to bring any bags in my hands. So I came wearing three pants and three shirts. The paper inside the container was hot. We felt a little warm.

After a while, a container partner said softly, in common with everyone else.

"Ginger should not talk. Do not defecate. Police dogs will attack. Better not to sleep! "

But, a facility in rail containers Often, no one comes to check. After "checking" once and carrying the baggage, "checking" is done at the next country's harbor.

It is eight o'clock in the morning. The train left. None of us knew where it was going to go. But we believed what the agent told us to go to London. London is a dream world for Tamils. There are many Tamils there. English is not a problem, even with the story. They will have their own anyway. There are people who go to London with this courage. Other containers will go by ship. But, our good time is over. These containers are going by train.

I passed urine. It was too tight to contain any more. Let it come... I drifted off to the side, thinking no one would notice. But everyone noticed it. We looked out through the container bars. Forests, meadows, small villages, farms, farmlands, goat farms, cattle farms... "All those mustard flowers," one said, pointing to the vast fields of yellow flowers. "Belgium was beautiful." It was also beautiful to look at.

Asmiya came to me. I had told the container associates that I was a native girl.

"Anna..." She hesitated.

"What?"

"I... I..."

"How about you?"

"Arrive."

Okay, it's okay. There is a little spot on the leg. Go away,

I took off one of my shirts and tore it. She suffered a lot at that time. She throbbed with abdominal pain. Vimmy Vimmy (Sob) cried.

"Crying... Crying child." Everything will be fine. Go and pray... God is with you! "

I don't know what else to say.

"Your wife gave it to you!" A fellow in the container came up to me and said,

The train was moving. It stopped at only one station on the way. It would have stood for half an hour. We peeked. It doesn't look like London. We have made sure that England has not come to accept small information like other European countries' left-hand steering wheels and that English is not written on the boards.

Five hours passed. Is the train going to England or somewhere else? as if they left the train at a station and went somewhere. Stops... stops... stops. The train stopped there for twelve hours and came close to a harbor. But I don't know where. In no time, the container was shifted from the train and taken outside. The containers were taken and parked at the place. Unable to bear it any longer, we disembarked at a harbour of unknown race and country.

Harbor has betrayed the camera to the security guards. Three jeeps came towards us in a row. The number of the jeep was in English. Someone came near us and gave us a hand. After the welcome films were over, they asked me to board the jeep. We climbed.

Seven more Sri Lankan Tamils have been arrested. Later, we learned that they were from France. After finger pointing, photo taking, and a small investigation is over, they send "go". We intended to come to England. We have arrived. Asmiya asks Navaneethan to call. Navaneethan came. Pediyan is the perfect match for Asmiya. Asmiya's eyes were frozen on me while saying goodbye!

It has been four months since I arrived in London. London is used to it. Snow in London is like white punch. You will want to play with your hands. If you play, your hand will be damaged. I couldn't refuse my friend's invitation and waited at the railway station to go to Liverpool, hoping it was winter. Asmiya was sitting two benches away. I went to her and confirmed that it was Asmiya. See you in four months." She seemed to have none of the excitement of being with Navaneethan or the happiness of a newlywed.

When I got closer, she recognized me. My eyes were broken when I saw him. She acted like she was waiting for me to cry.

"Why Asmiya? What happened?"

"Navaneethan is a bad brother. He is a fraud. I left him and came. I am now in a women's shelter. I trusted him because he had suffered so much. How much suffering did he bear? At the beginning of my arrival, one day, Chavan spoke to me, "Well... then... then...." cried Vimmi Vimmi (Sob).

Don't ask me stories from the second day. love I felt like something. He asked Navaneethan, 'Why did you do this to me?'

He said... I have a mental disorder. Do a virginity test. Then we can live together. He said, "Until I see your virginity results, I don't even want to talk to you." "Bro, he suspects that I may have had sex with someone during my search for Navaneethan!"

Suddenly, she leaned on my shoulder and burst into tears. I have no words of comfort or condolence.

When the green light for the train she was waiting for turned on, she was ready to depart!