Muscat: Happy Das, and her two sons, Partho, 26, and Ankan, 22, from Bangladesh have been residents in Oman for the last 26 years. Though things are good now, they have seen more than their share of sorry in life. Partho helplessly saw his dad die in a flash flood. Happy was 38 when she lost her husband in 2009.
But like the legendary phoenix, Happy emerged from the misfortunes and mishaps – stronger and resilient. “I had to because I lost Ajit, when my sons were just 16 and 12 years. Ajit had many dreams for his sons and I had to ensure that those became a reality.”
Haunting memories
Happy came to Oman 26 years ago as a new mum with her one-year-old son Partho and her husband, who ran a small workshop in Muscat. The small family soon had one more member, Ankan, and the business too grew bigger. But one evening in December 2009, incessant rains and an overflowing wadi washed away the car that Ajit, Partho along with a driver and another staff member were travelling in into the fast-swelling water. Partho hauntingly remembers his father holding his hand as water swirled around. He says he can still remember his dad calling out his name as the water dragged him away.
Determined mother
Help came from many quarters for Happy Das, with offers of money and a new life. But she didn’t accept any of those and instead sought the assistance of the Bangladesh embassy, who helped her get a job in Bangladesh School. After school hours, Happy would indulge in making art-deco pieces, and stitching clothes into fashionable dresses that found many takers. She also made it a point to participate in exhibitions and fairs to sell her handmade embroidered items and dresses.
She toiled to give good education to her sons and on the way taught her extra skills. Today, her elder son Partho works as Business Development Manager for a reputed auditing firm and younger son Ankan has just joined a private company as a Sales Representative after finishing his bachelors degree from Malaysia.
Happy has her own tailoring business that she manages with clothes bought from Bangladesh and Pakistan. In her spare time, she writes poems and stories for magazines. “I love Oman, which I call my home. This is where everything began for me and I would like it to end here for me,”. Partho said his mum hopes to rest beside her husband, who was cremated in Oman.
