SAUDI ARABIA

Indian community leader Wandoor leaves with fond memories

January 17, 2018

Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH
— Prominent Indian community leader and social worker Abdurahiman Wandoor is leaving the Kingdom for good. Several Keralite community organizations held farewell parties for Wandoor and his wife Jasmin, who is also a social worker. Wandoor has served Banque Saudi Fransi for about 35 years, joining the bank in 1983 as a clerk and leaving it after holding the post of admin head of the Western region.

Wandoor carved a niche for himself with an all-round presence and leadership role in most of the social, cultural, media, welfare, charity and voluntary activities of the community in Jeddah for over three and a half decades. He was founder member of the Jeddah chapter of Navodaya Cultural Forum and served it in various capacities, including unit president and patron of the area committee. He has also played a leading role in rendering voluntary services for Haj pilgrims and was instrumental in the formation of Jeddah Haj Welfare Forum (JHWF). He has served as vice chairman and treasurer of this umbrella body of Keralite expatriate organizations for Haj voluntary service.

As a media person, Wandoor worked as reporter of Kairali Television since 2000. He had also served as correspondent of Deshabhimani newspaper. Playing a significant role in the formation of Jeddah Indian Media Forum (JIMF), he served as its founding chairman and later as general secretary. He also worked as member of the Parent Teachers’ Association of International Indian School-Jeddah, patron of the Jeddah chapter of Wandoor Expatriate Forum and Eriyad Expatriate Forum.

Jasmin, who worked as executive member of Navodaya Family Forum, had been in the forefront of several family-based programs and activities. The couple’s lone son Ajeesh Rahman is an engineering graduate working in the Indian IT city of Bangalore.

Wandoor, who has proved his passion and dedication in social work, plans to continue similar activities back home. During his eventful stint in Jeddah, Wandoor showed keen interest in rendering selfless services in the humanitarian and relief fields. As an expatriate who started his career as a laborer in a construction company, Wandoor devoted a lot of time to serve workers in the labor camps by extending support to those sick among them and rehabilitate and alleviate the suffering of poor families of the deceased workers back home.

He also played a leading role in securing the release of a number of Indians who were imprisoned in insolvency and accident cases. The chilling memories of partaking in removing bodies of Haj pilgrims who were crushed to death in the 2015 Mina stampede still haunt him. He was among the Indian Haj volunteers who rushed to the stampede site to render voluntary services.

Wandoor is going back with full gratification and self-realization of leading an eventful life by giving succor to the poor and needy among the expatriates.

More than a dozen chapters of Navodaya in Jeddah, Makkah, Taif and Yanbu have organized farewell parties for Wandoor and Jasmin. Several other organizations, including JHWF, JIMF, Sameeksha Literary Forum, as well as Abeer Group also honored the couple with sendoff parties. Abeer Group’s President Alungal Mohammed, Project Director Abdul Samad, and Operations Manager Salim Rawther were among those who attended the sendoff party.


January 17, 2018
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