Pandalam (Pathanamthitta): The recent fire at an apartment complex in Kuwait not only claimed lives but also shattered a mother's heartfelt prayers for the well-being of her son, who worked far away from home, in a foreign country.
Since learning about the death of her son Akash in the Kuwait fire, Shobhanakumari has been bedridden, devastated by the news. Her once regular visits to temples and prayers now seem futile. To everyone who is visiting her at Shobhanalayam House in Mudiyoorkkonam to mourn the death, she asks, "My son, who was my everything, is gone. Whom should I wait for now?"
Akash was a fourth-standard student when his father, Sasidharan Nair, passed away. From that point on, his mother, Shobhanakumari, who worked at a drug store in Pandalam, took sole responsibility for raising Akash and his sister Shari, ensuring they received a good education.
For the past eight years, Akash had been working in Kuwait and actively seeking a better job. Meanwhile, Shobhanakumari longed to see him married and regularly visited temples before going to work, praying for this wish to come true.
The family had initially settled in Faridabad with Akash's father, Sasidharan Nair. After his death from cancer when Akash was still in school, they moved to their home town and built a small house near their ancestral home. Shobhanakumari took on the responsibility of the family, ensuring Shari received a proper education and got married, while Akash completed a diploma in electronics and another course in instrumentation before leaving for Kuwait. His savings from working abroad recently helped them complete the first floor of their house.
Akhil, a relative of Akash, contacted Akash’s friends in Kuwait immediately after hearing about the fire. Despite trying to reach Akash directly, his calls went unanswered, and the phone was switched off by 2:30 pm. Arun and Binu, also from Mudiyoorkkonam and running a business in Kuwait, rushed to the scene to inquire about Akash’s situation. Tragically, by evening, Akash's name appeared on the list of the deceased, shattering the prayers and hopes of his family and friends.
Kuwait fire victims (Kerala)
1. Arun Babu from Thiruvananthapuram
2. Nitin Koothur from Kannur
3. Thomas Oommen from Tiruvalla
4. Mathew Thomas from Alappuzha
5. Akash S Nair (23) from Pandalam, Pathanamthitta
6. KR Ranjith (34) from Chengala in Kasaragod
7. Saju Varghese (56) from Konni, Pathanamthitta
8. Kelu Ponmaleri (55) from Kasaragod
9. Stefin Abraham Sabu (29) from Kottayam's Pampady
10. MP Bahulayan from Malappuram
11. Kuppante Purakkal Nooh from Kootayi, Tirur, Malappuram
12. Lukose aka Sabu (48) from Kollam's Velichikala
13. Sajan George from Punalur, Kollam.
14. P V Muraleedharan from Vazhamuttom, Pathanamthitta
15. Viswas Krishnan from Dharmadom, Kannur
16. Umarudheen Shameer (33) from Kollam's Pooyappally
17. Srihari Pradeep from Changanassery, Kottayam
18. Binoy Thomas from Chavakkad in Thrissur
19. Sreejesh Thankappan Nair
20. Sumesh Pillai Sundaran
21. Aneesh Kumar Unnankandi
22. Sibin Thevaroth Abraham (31) from Keezhvaipur, Pathanamthitta
23. Shibu Verghese