Dubai: Overwhelmed by the natural calamity in Kerala, many Indian families have decided to cancel their plans to celebrate Onam and Eid Al Adha this week.
Onam is the Keralite harvest festival, celebrated over a period of 12 days in the state. This year, it is being observed from August 15-27, with August 24 marking the main event, when people decorate their home’s entrances with the ‘atapu’ (intricate floor patterns created out of flower petals) and have the traditional Onam Sadhya lunch.
This year, on August 15, when Keralites were to celebrate the beginning of Onam, they were combating the fury of the floods.
Sharjah-based Anil and Sindhu Nair and their daughters Dashana and Darhsita have decided to call of their Onam celebrations.
Nair told Gulf News: “My daughters who were watching the news were so disturbed by the suffering of the people in Kerala, that they decided they would not celebrate. It is a sad occasion and many of our friends and family have decided to give Onam festivities a slip. So there will be no decorations, no get-togethers and no Sadhya lunch. Instead, we have donated the Dh2,000 we would have spent on Onam, to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Relief fund,” said Nair.
Thottivalippil Sidheeq, a businessman from Dubai, had gone for a summer vacation to his home district Malappuram in Kerala. “We are overwhelmed by the tragedy that we have seen unfold in Malappuram. The school near our home is overflowing with thousands of refugees in need of basic necessities. My wife Shahrana, children Abdul Basit, 17, Sinan, 16, Sufiyaan, 13, and Riza, 10, are all involved in lending a helping hand at the school. We have been working hard to provide relief to the people.”
The Sidheeq family collectively decided to forgo Eid Al Adha celebrations. “There is no great service to God than helping people in need, and we decided this was the best way to observe our festival,” said Sidheeq, speaking to Gulf News from the relief camp.
Vinod and Sunitha Kumar from Sharjah hail from one of the worst flood-affected districts, Aranmulla in Pathanmthitta district of Kerala. Sunitha told Gulf Neww: ‘How can we even think of enjoying celebrations when thousands of people in our state are crying and battling with death and devastation?”
Swaty Kumar, their son and a student at American University of Sharjah, has raised Dh5,000 in his student group. Kumar told Gulf News: ‘Our student group, Campus Express, has collectively raised Dh20,000 that we will donate the Chief Minister’s Relief fund. What was touching was the fact that students of all nationalities had deep empathy for the cause and came forward to donate generously.”
The Kumars, who have lived in Dubai for two decades, will go about their lives in a routine manner on August 24 and instead devote all their energy towards helping the region.
“Our uncles and cousins are actively volunteering to help those who have taken refuge in relief camps. We will do whatever we can from her,” said Sunita, who remitted Rs60,000 (approximately Dh3,000) to relatives and family members two days ago.
Anil Balan and his wife Preethi Anil returned from Kerala on Sunday, absolutely shell shocked by the devastation they witnessed. “We are from Thrissur district and had gone home to enjoy the rains, but instead we walked into a nightmare,” said Balan, who saw people fighting to survive the devastation. “We cannot celebrate after seeing thousands of people suffering. I saw 6,000 people at a single relief camp.”
The Balans spent eight hours on the road, to drive to the nearest working airport in Kozhikode, to return to the UAE. “Reaching the airport, that would take us less than two hours, took four times the duration this time, and we saw so much suffering and pain,” recalled Balan.
Vivek and Rashmi Nair from Dubai have also decided to tone down festivities at their home. “My wife is from Aleppey district, which was severely hit by the flooding. Many of her relatives were affected and our mood is sombre. We cannot be celebrating Onam when our people are going through so much hardship. Thousands in Kerala will not be able to celebrate Onam and we decided we have to stand by them. We will donate the money we would spend on Onam to the Chief Minsiter’s Relief Fund,” said Nair.
Like Onam, Eid Al Adha celebrations have been dialled down by most Muslims from Kerala. Anwar Naha, president of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) told Gulf News: “We stand with our brethren in Kerala and will not celebrate Eid. I am involved in organising relief aid to Kerala and won’t have time for festiivites anyway,” said Naha, whose family is in Kerala for the summer vacation.
Overwhelming community spirit in action
Several social groups have responded with donations in cash and kind, to help their brethren in Kerala. Batches of non-perishable items are being airlifted or shipped to the inundated state from collection centres here, thanks to people’s generous offerings.
Employees at UAE companies are also coming forward to donate a day’s salary to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Relief fund. The employees of Elfit Arabia, an Ajman-based company with just 20 staff members, raised Dh8,000 as their contribution to the relief fund.
The Rajasthan Business and Professional Group, comprising 400 members, has raised Rs5 million (Dh26,000 approximately). Kesar Kothari, a member of the group, told Gulf News: “Our group will be handing over a cheque of that amount to the Indian Consulate, to be transferred to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.”
Shipping and freight forwarding companies such as LoneStar and Dolphin Shipping Lines have circulated messages advertising that they will transport relief cargo free of charge to Kerala.
