The Gulf returnee was a stock figure in the Malayali imagination: often satirised as a guy with flashy clothes, a gold chain and dark glasses, his suitcases bursting with consumer goods. In places like Dubai or Sharjah or Muscat too, they formed a subculture of their own, watching Malayali movies, keeping up with the news, socialising with each other.
This mobility and prosperity reshaped homes and villages, as wealth came with prestige. As political scientist Devesh Kapur wrote in his study of migration, the diaspora often plays an insurance role — so when disaster strikes Kerala, as it did with recent floods, their support has been a source of resilience.