After surviving exploitation in Saudi Arabia, a 52-year-old woman from Kollam in Kerala has scripted a remarkable story of resilience, rising from a tortured housemaid to a successful organic farmer in Kerala.
In 2016, driven by the dream of a better future, E Soshamma of Aayiram Thengu left for Saudi Arabia after being promised a job as a tailor at a hospital by a visa agent. However, upon reaching there, the reality was starkly different. She was forced into working as a domestic maid for a family, enduring inhumane treatment, long working hours, and physical and mental abuse.
After she took refuge at the Indian Embassy, she was finally repatriated to India. Her return was the beginning of a new chapter in her life. “Those dark memories still haunt me. I went to Saudi Arabia after my family ran into huge debt,” Soshamma told “Open Digest“.
Refusing to be broken by the trauma, she decided to rebuild her life. A kind local family offered her a small parcel of land on lease. Drawing strength from her past, she began cultivating vegetables with nothing but grit, borrowed tools, and a passion to prove herself.
Her initial success encouraged her to lease more land. Today, she farms over six acres of leased land, growing a wide variety of vegetables—all through strict organic farming methods. From brinjal and beans to cucumber and chilli, her farm yields high-quality produce that fetches premium rates in the local market.
“I lost everything once. But when I touched the soil, I found my strength,” Soshamma says, standing amidst her lush vegetable farm.
Soshamma strictly adheres to organic farming, and people from neighbouring districts also directly approach her to buy vegetables. “I am getting tremendous support from the people who wholeheartedly buy vegetables from me. I am able to make good returns from farming, but I am happier that I could offer pesticide and chemical free vegetables to the people,” she added.
