In a touching story of kindness that transcends politics, a Pakistani man living in Dubai has been the primary, live-in caregiver to his former neighbor, an Indian who is blind. For a year and a half, the two friends, Tomichan Puthuparambil Thomas, 63, from Kerala and Mohammed Asad, 36, from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, have been sharing a tiny room with a bunk bed.
When Thomas, an electrical engineer diploma holder, suddenly lost his vision in 2018 following two strokes, he was unable to leave Dubai and travel home because of unpaid business dues.
It was then that Asad, a night-time crane operator who lived across from his apartment in Bur Dubai at the time, moved in to help him cope. He took the role of nurse seriously– assisting Thomas on trips to the bathroom, feeding him and preparing his meals before leaving for work every evening.
In a week’s time, Thomas is finally flying home to Kerala to be with his family and to seek medical treatment with the support of the Indian expat community. Doctors have told him that with the right treatment, he could regain vision in one eye.
“It is the heart that should be big,” Asad said, sitting in their cramped Karama room with his knees almost touching the wall.
“Then there is space for everything else.”
For 16 years, Asad who is originally from the city of Muzaffarabad, has been living and working in the UAE. Despite his small income, he said he has no problem contributing what he can to Thomas’ care.
“One should do as much as one can. Don’t see if the person is Indian or Pakistani or whoever. Just do it for the sake of humanity,” he said.
On Saturday, Indian Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor also tweeted about the pair and said, “Humanity transcends the man-made divisions, territory and politics.”
For Thomas, Asad will always remain his savior.
“I will hang his photo in my house,” he said.
“And the moment I get my sight back, his face will be the first thing I will look at.”
Source: Arab News PK
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