Dubai: If he were alive, Abdul Sattar Edhi would have turned 89 on Tuesday (February 28).
Nevertheless, Edhi’s humanitarian contributions and philanthropist work continue to live on long after him.
In recognition of his achievements, Google opted to tell the world his story through a special doodle, which appeared on the search engine’s home page.
Edhi was born in 1928, in Bantva, Gujarat in India.
But he left for Pakistan after the Partition in 1947.
The doodle was placed on Google’s homepages in various countries, and not just in southern Asian countries, as is the case with some celebrities and prominent figures.
It featured on the home page in the United States, Iceland, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Estonia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland and in his homeland, where he brought pride to his countrymen.
“In celebration of Abdul Sattar Edhi, let’s all lend a hand to someone in need today,” Google said in a statement.
It described Edhi as a “global-reaching philanthropist and humanitarian who made it his life’s mission to helping those in need”.
“I think the world has known very few people like him who are so selfless in pursuing their motto without glamour,” Tauseef Al Mulla, a UAE-artist of Pakistani origin told Gulf News.
Back in 1951, Edhi founded the Edhi Foundation with a slogan to “live and help live”.
With some donations, he converted a tiny room into a dispensary.
He also bought an ambulance that he himself drove around.
As more donations poured in his humanitarian reach expanded across the country.
Today it is the biggest welfare organisation in Pakistan, with nearly 1,800 ambulances across the country.
In 1997, the foundation entered the Guinness World Records as the “largest volunteer ambulance organisation”.
Apart from ambulances, the foundation also runs outpatient hospitals, child adoption centres and provides rescue boats.
It also helps shelter thousands of orphan children.
Edhi was known for his unifying stance and was reported to use “zakat” money to help not only Muslims, but Christians and Hindus, too.
Once, when asked about why he would help non-Muslims too, Edhi was quoted as saying, “because my ambulance is more Muslim than you”.
Edhi was nominated several times for the Noble Peace prize. The last time was last year.
