By Ramesh Mathew
Staff Reporter
Some Doha residents, on learning about the death of a 67-year-old Indian expatriate who had not travelled home for more than a decade, have offered to bear the expenses of sending his body home.
Abdul Khader Meeran, who hailed from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, died of a heart attack on September 23, Gulf Times reported yesterday. He was working as a watchman in the Industrial Area. Meeran last travelled to India in “2001 or 2002”, sources said.
In response to the report, a person working in a real estate firm in Doha contacted the Gulf Times office yesterday morning and expressed his desire to raise adequate finances to send Meeran’s body home for the funeral at his native place in Chinnamuthandipatti, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.
Later, this person sought the help of humanitarian worker and social activist Abdul Salam for processing the necessary papers at the earliest so that his body could be sent home as soon as possible. The expatriate said he and his friends were gathering funds for this purpose and hoped that they would be able to send Meeran’s body to India this week.
A couple of other Doha-based youths from Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district are also understood to have come forward to help repatriate Meeran’s body.
Salam has been instrumental in the repatriation of bodies of several expatriates to their native countries over the past 10 years. He came to learn about Meeran’s death while visiting the Hamad Hospital mortuary late on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Aboobecker, a driver working in a local household and belonging to Meeran’s native place, said he would accompany the body if a ticket was arranged. It is learnt that a couple of people have come forward, promising him a ticket for this purpose.
Meeran, who was eking out a living by doing some odd jobs, died at the accommodation of a company on Street 18, Industrial Area, where he was serving as a watchman.
He is survived by his wife and five daughters. The marriage of the youngest daughter took place a few months ago in his absence.
Meeran could only attend the marriage of his eldest daughter on his last visit to his native place, Aboobecker told Gulf Times. Meeran was caught up in a struggle to mobilise savings from odd jobs to marry off his daughters and was unable to go home for over a decade.
Meeran’s wife Saithun Beevi has reportedly given a “power of attorney” to Aboobecker, whom she addressed as a close relative, to take her husband’s body to their native place. A copy of the document is also in the possession of this newspaper.
