Mentally ill Telugu maid back home from Gulf

A 50-year-old Teluguspeaking woman working as domestic worker in Qatar returned to India in a mentally unstable condition. She was wandering around Delhi airport in first week of August before being noticed by the police who shifted her to Earth Saviours Foundation in Gurgaon.

Narsi Veeramma from West Godavari district had migrated to the Gulf in February as a household worker. When she lost her mental balance, her employer sent her back.

National Workers Welfare Trust (NWWT) chairperson Sister Lissy Joseph, who happened to be in Delhi, came to know about the incident and contacted Delhi police. She brought Veeramma to the city and reunited her with her family.

Sister Lissy told Deccan Chronicle, “What happened to her in the Gulf is a mystery. The woman is unable to say what went wrong with her.”

“Veeramma’s is not the only case. We have three more women from Telugu states staying with us,” a foundation representative told DC over phone from Gurgaon. Their kin have not been traced so far.

Madhu, elder son of Veeramma, told this correspondent: "I did not know that my mother was going to the Gulf. I feel really bad that she went to a Gulf country to earn money. I am grateful that she has returned to the country safely."

He said three years ago, Veeramma had suffered a head injury and was treated for it. She was normal after that. “She has lost her mental balance only after going to the Gulf.”

Those going to the Gulf for jobs must use proper channels, like Telangana Overseas Manpower Company in TS and Overseas Recruitment Agency in AP.

If Veeramma had gone to the Gulf through proper channels, she would have been eligible for some insurance coverage, Sister Lissy said.