By Tan May Ping

SO anxious was he to leave Singapore, he turned up at the airport at 6.30am, more than three hours ahead of his flight on Wednesday.

Mr Pandiyarajan Chidambaram, 29, had, after all, been stuck here, much against his will, for more than two years, with no end in sight.

'I'm so happy I couldn't sleep last night,' he said at the airport through his friend, Mr Charles Anthonysamy, who accompanied him.

The long-awaited trip back to India means that Mr Pandiyarajan will finally get to see his dying mum. In a bittersweet irony, she turned out to be his passport home.

His crease-free shirt, cargo pants and shiny black shoes - which he had bought overnight - masked what he went through in Singapore.

But unlike the man who arrived here in January 2006 with so much hope for the future, he was returning with very little.

Mr Pandiyarajan had worked for the Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant as a sweets chef for nine months without pay. Finally, in October that year, he ran away to a shelter.

Later, the authorities began investigating the Little India restaurant. Mr Pandiyarajan and other workers were required to remain in Singapore to help in the investigation.

The restaurant owners were fined earlier this year for failing to pay the salaries of their employees in full, on charges brought by the Manpower Ministry.

But Mr Pandiyarajan could not leave as he was still needed for an investigation into the restaurant by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

In the two years that he was stuck here, he was strapped for money and had to borrow from friends. He also turned to temples and other organisations offering free food.

As he was under a special pass - which barred him from leaving as he was assisting investigations - he could not return to India earlier to see his ailing mother.

But when her health became worse, his father faxed him a letter from her doctor, which he then used to appeal to the CPIB to let him go home.

'Her health has always not been good, but a few weeks ago, it suddenly became very bad and she is in hospital,' said Mr Pandiyarajan.

The note, which he showed The New Paper, stated that his mother has diabetes and heart problems, and that her condition is very serious.

His wish was granted by the bureau on Monday but he had to sign an undertaking to return if he is needed to testify in court.

'I cannot wait to see my mother's face again and I hope she can go for a heart operation soon,' he said, breaking into a smile.

Mr Charles said his friend had cried every day after he received news a few weeks ago that his mother, whom he is close to, could be dying.

Said Mr Charles: 'He desperately wanted to go home. It was the only thing on his mind.'

Mr Pandiyarajan recently received $10,000 from the Manpower Ministry out of the $19,100 in wages that was owed to him.

He remitted about $6,500 to his family, part of which will be used for his mother's treatment.

He is also looking forward to marrying the woman his parents had chosen for him before he came here.

Said Mr Pandiyarajan: 'I was supposed to go back for a holiday after a few months of work and marry her but then all these problems came up.'

Sad to leave friends

He said that although he did not have happy memories of his time here, he was sad to leave his friends behind as they had gone through so much suffering together.

When he broke the news to them hours before leaving for the airport, they all cried.

'We did everything together and looked out for each other,' he said. 'When we didn't have enough money, all of us would share a few packets of rice.'

At the airport on Wednesday, Mr Pandiyarajan had just one mid-sized trolley bag containing a few personal items and some presents for his family.

With Mr Charles, he had spent four hours at Mustafa Centre the night before, picking out gifts for his family. He bought clothes for his parents and siblings, as well as toys for his niece and nephew.

He also picked up a ring for his future wife and a watch for himself.

The two friends also bought clothes as gifts for one another, which they then wore to the airport.

After paying about $400 for his air ticket, Mr Pandiyarajan left Singapore with only about $60 in his pocket.

But as he walked into the gates, he flashed a smile that was no doubt priceless.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 11, 2008.