Sharjah: For 23 years, Saleem Abdul Rehman has been capturing people, places and the pulse of Ajman through his lens for posterity and today this freelance professional photographer who has to his credit numerous events, celebrity pictures and celebrations as part of his body of work is lying on a hospital bed with a bleak future ahead.
On Tuesday, Rehman underwent an angioplasty at Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah through which doctors removed five blocks in his heart. He is now on medication to clear up the remaining blockages in his heart.
Rehman, who is popularly known as Saleem Thriprayar, borrowing his second name from his hometown in the South Indian state of Kerala, had showed equal enthusiasm in popularising Ajman and Thriprayar, said one of his friends, Sadaruddhin S.K.
“He has covered a lot of events for government departments in Ajman. He has a Facebook page called ‘Beauty of Ajman’ for sharing his marvellous pictures of landmarks in the emirate [and] he has another Facebook page called ‘Beauty of Thriprayar’ to share pictures and posts about that town,” Sadaruddhin told Gulf News.
Though he made plenty of friends and earned fame as a good photographer in the emirate and helped many people, Rehman failed to save anything for his family, a friend of Rehman told Gulf News. “With an unstable income, he could only manage to support his family in their day-to-day expenses.”
The 61-year-old has a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. He has been staying at an accommodation provided by his sponsor. He has no medical insurance and no savings to cover the expenses of his treatment or to sustain his family in future.
Another friend, who did not wish to be named, said Rehman had been suffering from severe cough and breathlessness for several days. “When he finally went to Shaikh Khalifa Hospital in Ajman on November 25, he was taken to Al Qasimi Hospital for an angiogram. After that, he was brought back to Shaikh Khalifa Hospital from where he was discharged on November 29.”
However, Rehman’s condition worsened and he had to be rushed to Al Qasimi Hospital again on December 9. A friend of Rehman helped him fly in his wife from Kerala to take care of him.
Speaking from the hospital, Rehman’s wife Zeenath said Rehman had sent his family back home 10 years ago since he could not afford to keep them here. “He is the breadwinner for me and my two kids. But, he hardly had a steady income,” she said.
“As his physical condition is not good, travelling to India is not advised at this moment. I am in a helpless situation. I have left my school-going children with my aged mother at home and came over to look after him. Though he has some kind friends, they cannot support us to completely foot the expected bills and face life ahead. It will be really a lifesaver for us if any good-hearted people can support him at this stage,” she added.
