George Kurian

A first-hand account of the perilous journey made by a group of Syrian refugees. Traversing land and sea on an old fishing boat manned by smugglers, the nail-biting journey leads to Europe where the refugees disperse. Each must battle to stay sane and create an identity among the maze of regulations and refugee hostels. The Crossing shows us the lengths to which people go to find safety and forge their own destiny.

Hari is a young, aspiring writer living in the countryside. Hari lives with his mother in their sylvan surroundings. His only excitement, perhaps, is the sight of the doctor’s young wife, filling him with hope of an opportunity for flirting. Sometimes, he visits Peter Sir, an old retired school teacher and widower. The two lonely men take pleasure in a curious game, over drinks and exotic dishes. They cut out obituary notices from a local newspaper, put them in a bowl and randomly pick them out, one at a time. They stake small amounts of money against each pick. The person who picks the older victim of death becomes the winner, and pockets the sum. From among the pictures they pick, Peter Sir recognizes two men, Shaji and Kuriakose, whose deaths tell entirely different tales—one of a murder and the other of love.

A first-hand account of the perilous journey made by a group of Syrian refugees. Traversing land and sea on an old fishing boat manned by smugglers, the nail-biting journey leads to Europe where the refugees disperse. Each must battle to stay sane and create an identity among the maze of regulations and refugee hostels. The Crossing shows us the lengths to which people go to find safety and forge their own destiny.