BENGALURU: She came, she saw and, instead of fleeing from the place, she conquered the hearts of Keralites put up in relief centres though she can’t speak a word of Malayalam. Yoga ambassador of Bahrain, Fatima Al-Mansoori (35), has travelled 120 km covering relief centres set up in Kerala post the floods to offer help in the best possible manner, comfort and solidarity.
Fatima, from Muharraq in Bahrain, had reached India on August 11 to conduct a five-day course at the Department of Human Yogic Sciences in Mangalore University on August 21. “As an adjunct professor at the Yogic Sciences Department, I keep coming to India every semester to deliver special lectures,’’ she told Express. Prior to conducting the short course, she decided to visit a friend’s house in Kerala and participate in the inauguration of the largest bird sculpture in the world, ‘Jatayu’ (the event was later cancelled).
When heavy rains triggered landslides, Fatima, instead of packing her bags and heading to Mangaluru, plunged headlong into the task of offering solidarity. “I just felt a pressing need to go to the flooded areas and help in any way I could, even if it meant providing emotional support or listening to the stories of victims,’’ she elaborates on her gut feeling that prompted her to stay behind. Visiting flood relief centres with the help of Noufal, a volunteer from an NGO, the yoga therapist realised that survivors had lost everything they possessed and entire communities had collapsed under the floods. During the time, friends, the Indian expatriate community and well-wishers in Bahrain, on learning about her initiative, had begun seeking information to understand the gravity of the crisis in flood-hit areas.
“I was also anxious to highlight the reality of this harsh and painful disaster, so that the suffering could be felt and better understood and make people fully aware, in real time, the needs of the survivors,’’ she recollected and added that she achieved this through live feeds Instagram and Twitter posts. Her initiative was also highlighted in Bahrain by Gulf weekly newspaper. “There was even one elderly woman who wanted to share with me the little food that she had. She had nothing left but the clothes she was wearing,” said the yoga therapist who visited Pyramid Valley on the city’s outskirts before returning to Kochi on Sunday.
Due to her efforts, people in Bahrain quickly rallied around to offer assistance. As a result, expatriate associations involved in the relief drive were flooded with calls with offers of help. Bahrain king Hamad also had assigned the Royal Charity Organisation (RCO) to dispatch relief material to flood-hit areas. A special ‘Pray for Kerala’ meet was also held at the National Evangelical Church a week ago.
Fatima, who had recovered from a disorder known as fibromyalgia through a yogic lifestyle, said she found herself again on the path of humanitarian action as it was a God-guided mission. “All I had to do was respond,’’ she said. She intends to stay a few more days to produce a documentary and raise more aid.