Indian community helps repatriate ailing Keralite, 80, who came to UAE in a catamaran in 1968


gulf news, 20-11-2020 11:45:43


Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print


V. P. Sasikumar (left) and Kiran Raveendran hand over the travel documents to K. Raghavan

Raghavan and his wife Sarojini along with community members ahead of his departure

Indians help expat who spent 52 years in UAE fly home

Indian community helps repatriate ailing Keralite, 80, who came to UAE in a catamaran in 1968

Dh103,000 visa fine waived amid COVID-19, while community pays Dh59,000 additional fines

Dubai: A semi-paralysed Indian man, 80, who claimed to have landed in the UAE in a wooden catamaran 52 years ago, hs been repatriated to his home country with the help of community members.

As reported by Gulf News in May, K. Raghavan, who once ran two tailoring shops in Dubai and a trading company in Ajman, had been unable to fly home due to the fines he had incurred after his business went bust. “I want to live the rest of my life in Kerala. Let my death be there in my motherland,” that was the desperate plea of Raghavan.

His wish to fly home came true after community members banded together to take up his case. While residency visa fines worth Dh103,000 were waived in Ajman, compassionate community members and social workers helped settle fines he had incurred after defaulting in licence renewals and rent payments. The total amount of pending fines was brought down from Dh104,000 to Dh59,000 by different entities, following which good Samaritans helped settle them, paving the way for Raghavan to fly home, said V.P. Sasikumar, one of the community members who supported him.

Raghavan, who lived in a cramped room in Dubai’s Jaffiliya area for several months, had earlier said that he had lost everything that he had earned in life by the time he fell sick and was eventually semi-paralysed.

His visa had expired three years earlier and he could not renew it as he had to pay penalties in cases related to non-payment of rent and defaulting licence renewals filed by the Ajman Free Zone.

How he was helped

After the report about Raghavan came out, the Free Zone authorities helped reduce the fine amount in one case from Dh54,000 to Dh28,000, said Sasikumar. He said another fine of Dh40,000 was reduced to Dh21,000 after social workers conveyed the plight of Raghavan to the concerned. “There was another cheque case for Dh10,000 pending in Sharjah,” said Sasikumar.

He said a group of doctors and a businessman from Kerala, and members of voluntary group UAE Relief Initiative who were contacted by RJ Fazlu, helped settle Dh48,000. Members of the WhatsApp group ‘Change A Life, Save A Life’, helped clear the remaining fines, he said.

While Sasikumar and Kiran Raveendran had been supporting Raghavan for several months, other community members like Shamseer and Shaji Ammannur helped the elderly man with medicines. “Ramesh Payyannur also had helped when he had to be hospitalised once. Through his contacts, he managed to get the bill halved at that time,” said Sasikumar.

The elderly man had been totally dependent on his wife Sarojini, 65, who was brought over on a visit visa by some well-wishers, after he was discharged from the hospital.

Sasikumar said the family and the community were very thankful to the authorities. “With everyone’s support, we managed to send him and his wife back to Kerala finally. He had got a new vigour the moment he realised he was going back home. It gave us immense pleasure to see him with full enthusiasm.”

In a video message shot before his departure, Raghavan thanked everyone who helped him tide over the crisis and fulfilled his wish to be repatriated to his hometown in Kerala’s Kannur district.

Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Kemmannu.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.
Please note that under 66A of the IT Act, sending offensive or menacing messages through electronic communication service and sending false messages to cheat, mislead or deceive people or to cause annoyance to them is punishable. It is obligatory on kemmannu.com to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request. Hence, sending offensive comments using kemmannu.com will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Kemmannu.com be held responsible.
Similarly, Kemmannu.com reserves the right to edit / block / delete the messages without notice any content received from readers.




Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Len
View More

Maundy Thursday 2024 | LIVE From St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | Udupi |Maundy Thursday 2024 | LIVE From St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | Udupi |
2 BHK Flat for sale on the 6th floor of Eden Heritage, Santhekatte, Kallianpur, Udupi2 BHK Flat for sale on the 6th floor of Eden Heritage,  Santhekatte, Kallianpur, Udupi.
Kemmennu for sale 1 BHK 628 sqft, Air Conditioned flatKemmennu for sale 1 BHK 628 sqft, Air Conditioned  flat
Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Lenten Hymn "Khursa Thain"Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Lenten Hymn
Palm Sunday 2024 at St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVEPalm Sunday 2024 at St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVE
Final Journey of Patrick Oliveira (83 years) || LIVE From KemmannuFinal Journey of Patrick Oliveira (83 years) || LIVE From Kemmannu
Carmel School Science Exhibition Day || Kmmannu ChannelCarmel School Science Exhibition Day || Kmmannu Channel
Final Journey of Prakash Crasta | LIVE From Kemmannu || Kemmannu ChannelFinal Journey of Prakash Crasta | LIVE From Kemmannu || Kemmannu Channel
ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮಹಾ ಸಂಘ | ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯಾಂಚ್ಯಾ ದಿಸಾಚೊ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ್ 2024 || ಸಾಸ್ತಾನ್ ಘಟಕ್ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮಹಾ ಸಂಘ | ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯಾಂಚ್ಯಾ ದಿಸಾಚೊ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ್ 2024 || ಸಾಸ್ತಾನ್ ಘಟಕ್
Valentine’s Day Special❤️||Multi-lingual Covers || Symphony98 From KemmannuValentine’s Day Special❤️||Multi-lingual Covers || Symphony98 From Kemmannu
Final Journey of Lionel John Lewis (74 years) | LIVE from Milagres Cathedral | Kallianpur | UdupiFinal Journey of Lionel John Lewis (74 years) | LIVE from Milagres Cathedral | Kallianpur | Udupi
Rozaricho Gaanch December 2023 issue, Mount Rosary Church Santhekatte Kallianpur, UdupiRozaricho Gaanch December 2023 issue, Mount Rosary Church Santhekatte Kallianpur, Udupi
An Ernest Appeal From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of UdupiAn Ernest Appeal From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of Udupi
Diocese of Udupi - Uzvd Decennial Special IssueDiocese of Udupi - Uzvd Decennial Special Issue
Final Journey Of Canute Pinto (52 years) | LIVE From Mount Rosary Church | Kallianpura | UdupiFinal Journey Of Canute Pinto (52 years) | LIVE From Mount Rosary Church | Kallianpura | Udupi
Earth Angels Anniversary | Comedy Show 2024 | Live From St. Theresa’s Church | Kemmannu | UdupiEarth Angels Anniversary | Comedy Show 2024 | Live From St. Theresa’s Church | Kemmannu | Udupi
Vespers 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuVespers 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Annual Church Feast 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuAnnual Church Feast 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Confraternity Sunday | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuConfraternity Sunday | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Kemmannu Cricket Match 2024 | LIVE from KemmannuKemmannu Cricket Match 2024 | LIVE from Kemmannu
CHRISTMAS MASS-2023 | St. Theresa’s Church | Live from Kemmannu | UdupiCHRISTMAS MASS-2023 | St. Theresa’s Church | Live from Kemmannu | Udupi
Annual Day 2023 | Carmel English School, Live From KemmannuAnnual Day 2023 | Carmel English School, Live From Kemmannu
Naturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOWNaturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOW
New Management takes over Bannur Mutton, Santhekatte, Kallianpur. Visit us and feel the difference.New Management takes over Bannur Mutton, Santhekatte, Kallianpur. Visit us and feel the difference.
Easter 2023 - Milrachi Lara From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, UdupiEaster 2023 - Milrachi Lara From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi
Focus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, UdupiFocus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, Udupi