Abu Dhabi bids farewell to Dr Dhanalakshmi, Indian expat doctor from Kerala found dead in UAE

Abu Dhabi: Hundreds of UAE residents on Thursday paid their last respects and bid adieu to Dr Dhanalakshmi, an Indian expat doctor from Kerala who was found dead at her apartment in Abu Dhabi early Tuesday morning.

The 54-year-old was a general dentist with Lifecare Hospital in Musaffah, managed by Burjeel Holdings. Also a popular author and vlogger, she was widely known for her active involvement in cultural and social events and volunteering activities.

She was found unresponsive when authorities entered her apartment after friends and colleagues, who got concerned by her absence from work and unanswered calls, discovered her apartment door locked from the inside with her untouched breakfast still hanging on the door.

“Hundreds of people came to pay their last respects after her embalming was done. People came from different emirates. There were people from various community groups and the medical fraternity,” Salim Chirakkal, president of Abu Dhabi Malayali Samajam, who was a close friend of Dr Dhanalaskhmi, told Gulf News.

Jafer Rabeeh, a content creator in Abu Dhabi who also shared a close bond with Dr Dhanalakshmi, was emotional as he spoke about seeing her mortal remains off to India.

“She was someone who held everyone close to her heart. No wonder there were so many people who came to see her one last time… men, women and some children. To me she was like my mother,” he said as he broke into tears.

The cause of her death is still under investigation, even as authorities have released her mortal remains for repatriation, said her relative who is accompanying her body on a 11.40pm flight from Abu Dhabi to Kannur on Thursday night.

He said the family has decided to conduct her final rites at Payyambalam crematorium in Kannur district in Kerala on Friday morning. Prior to that, people in her hometown will be able to pay their last respects at her home in Talap.

Dr Dhanalakshmi had worked in Kannur prior to moving to the UAE 10 years ago. On Sunday, she missed attending an event in her hometown, where she had been invited to be the chief guest at an arts school anniversary.
One of her last Facebook posts was an open apology for not attending the event. In that message, she wrote: “Destiny took a total twist… things aren’t in our hands many at times.”

Her final post on Sunday, titled “Can’t ask for more,” was a video showing her receiving a community service award from Malayalam actor Jagadish at an event hosted by a Malayali community group on July 13. Dressed in a sari, she accepted the award with a wide smile.

However, another post — a short story titled “The Price of Kindness” — has sparked deeper reflection and concern. The fictional-style narrative, tagged to a Facebook friend with the mention “feeling drained,” described emotional betrayal and financial strain following an act of generosity.

In it, the protagonist, a woman in the UAE, helps a struggling friend, only to be left burdened and ignored. The story ends with a sense of quiet resignation but also resolve:

“No longer was she the woman hoping for a return. She was the woman who had given selflessly—and had been used. And now, she was done. She walked away — not from the money, but from the illusion. From the emotional debt she had carried long after the financial one began…”

While it remains unclear whether the story was autobiographical, its tone and timing — shared just a day before her death — have struck a chord with her followers. Some saw it as a possible glimpse into her emotional state, while others cautioned against reading too much into it, especially as the cause of death has not yet been confirmed by authorities.