'Bollywood actors a rage among Arabs'

Say rescued camel slaves from the city while sharing their experiences in the Saudi desert

A DAY after they reached the city, Anis Palekar (28) and his brother Habib (25), who were rescued from camel slavery in Saudi Arabia after MiD DAY exposed their plight, spoke about their experiences in the desert.

The brothers said their employer, camel farm owner Ali Saleh Al Marri would quiz them about Bollywood actors all the time.

"He had pictures of Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Karishma and Kareena Kapoor on his cellphone," said Habib.

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Anis (left) and Habib Palekar were made to go without food and water for days

Anis recalled that Marri would ask them if they had ever met a Bollywood actor in Mumbai, especially Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and whether they looked similar to their photographs in real life.
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"We were asked about these actors by many other Arabs, too,u00a0 who were clearly in love withu00a0 Bollywood. Glamour, though, was the last thing on our mind as we went through the daily grind," he said.

Camel care

The brothers said Marri earned his livelihood by selling male (kulwan) camels, which are in much greater demand in the Saudi desert than the female (abdhan) ones. Habib said Marri had over 400 camels, out of which only 10 were males.

While female camels were taken to the desert to graze, the male camels were kept on the farm and were not allowed to venture out.

The brothers were made to take special care of the male camels. They had to be given a shampoo bath four times a day and their hair had to be combed at short intervals.

This task was given to two slaves, while the other two took the camels to the desert to graze. A special decorative sheet was also spread on the body of the male camels to make them glow in sunlight.

According to them, one of the male camels, Alayan, was sold to an Arab from Riyadh for 3 million Saudi Riyals.

"In the Saudi desert, Arabs take pride in showcasing the most beautiful camels. It is a matter of prestige for them to have their camels win awards during exhibitions," said Habib.

He said Marri won the fourth prize in one of the exhibitions and was awarded a gold sword, a luxury car and 60,000 Saudi Riyals.

"He took us to the exhibition, but made us wait there without food and water the entire day.

We were not rewarded despite the camel looking beautiful because of our efforts and were, instead, repaid with unkindness."

The brothers said Arabs carried firearms, weapons and lathis with them to such exhibitions as they were afraid of dacoits robbing them of the prize money while returning.
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"The money earned is deposited in their bank accounts in Saudi Arabia and Qatar," said Habib.

Rs 7.26 L
The amount of money (60,000 Saudi Riyals) awarded for winning fourth place in a camel exhibition

400
The number of camels owned by the brothers' employer. Only 10 of these were the sought-after male camels

4
The number of times the Palekar brothers had to give the male camels a shampoo bath every day