MALAPPURAM: Reminiscing about his son who died of Covid-19 in Dubai, Kodalil Kunhu Mohammed is virtually inconsolable. The pandemic had claimed Abdul Kareem, 48, on May 29, leaving Mohammed and other family members devastated.“Whenever Kareem returned to Dubai after spending his holidays with his family here, he would hug me warmly. His parting glance before leaving for the airport is still vivid in my memory. But when he left for ever, he didn’t hug me or give a parting glance,” Mohammed told friends of Kareem.
For the past 24 years, the deceased had been working with a private contract company in Dubai. A voice clip which Kareem had sent, while undergoing treatment for Covid in the emirate, went viral on social media. In the clip sent three weeks before his death, Kareem can be heard consoling a friend deeply disturbed by the Covid situation in the Gulf. “Don’t worry about the Covid deaths and related news. If we always think of them, we will be putting ourselves in a tight spot. Follow the instructions of the health authorities and that is the only way forward. We have lived till our current age, but many of our friends weren’t so lucky. Don’t worry, God has a plan for each one of us,” Kareem can be heard saying.
He was an active member of many organisations including the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC). “Kareem planned to help out his friends in Tirur, who are plagued by financial issues, during his next visit home. But death snatched him away,” said Vinod Thalapilly, a friend. Kareem leaves behind wife Sakeena, son Shahal, 14, and daughters Suha Fathima, 10, Sidhara, 4.
Forced to grieve from afar
Likewise, sorrow has engulfed the family of Kanhikkoth Saithalikutty, alias Kunhu, 70, from Pudiyangadi near Tirur who died of Covid in Doha(Qatar) on May 26. Along with the sudden exit of a beloved member and the vacuum caused by his physical absence, Saithalikutty’s family members are forced to endure the agony of grieving from afar. He passed away at the Hamad Hospital in Doha on May 26 where he was undergoing treatment for the deadly virus. Prior to this, he had been admitted to the Hamad Hospital in Al Wakrah. He had also developed pneumonia.
His body was buried in Doha following the Covid protocol. Kunhi Bava, younger brother of Saithalikutty, who was in Qatar, completed the legal formalities related to the burial in the sultanate. “We authorised Kunhi Bava to complete the formalities related to the burial in Doha. However, it is truly heartbreaking that we could not bid him a final farewell. But while his last rites were being performed in Qatar, we prayed for his soul and that he may find everlasting peace,” said the family members.