Samin seems inconsolable when asked about his family. A refugee from Syria, he lives alone in Delhi. While talking about his past the profound pain was apparent on his face still he is willing to talk about his past.
“I am Samin from Syria. When I was just 21, my parents died one after another within a span of six months, leaving me practically lost and heartbroken. There was no one except me to look after my sister ,so I took a job in a nearby restaurant. Things were going well but things started getting worse soon. The country descended into civil war as rebel brigades were formed to battle government forces for control of cities, towns and the countryside.
Several people started fleeing the civil war between President Bashar Al-Assad’s government and the rebels, as well as extremist groups.
One morning I alongwith with my sister went to the nearby market. Suddenly a roar shook the entire market place and it was nothing but an intense bomb blast which hit the entire market and its nearby places.
While remaining down on the ground, I lifted my head up and looked around to find everything completely changed. Almost all the shops had been mangled and tossed around. I suddenly realised my sister was not there beside me. I searched her here and there among all the dead and injured and I found her… Yes I found her amongst the debris. I lost my only sister. The bomb destroyed all the adjacent buildings, one of which was mine. All my neighbours decided to flee the brutal conflict in Syria and the repressive government and decided to start the perilous journey across the Mediterranean into Europe. It was then my old friend Emnauel suggested that it would be better to move to India as India has been a host of small group of refugees who sought to avoid the crowded countries that share the borders with Syria or the perilous sea journey to Europe. India is one of very few countries where we still have a Syrian embassy. So Emnauel and I took visa and came here,” he narrates his past.
Initially, Samin and Emnauel had to struggle here as they used to face discrimination. Even after facing several hurdles, they live with the dream of going back to their own country.
We all must remember that a refugee is someone who is forced to leave their country and we must also realise that no one in the world would willingly leave his home and homeland unless he is forced to do so.
