Daijiworld Media Network-Riyadh 

Riyadh, Jun 26: The poverty and dire need of living compelled Sudhir Chandrashekar, a Manglorean, to go to Gulf country and earn a better living. Main tool he had for the earning was driving, of which income was not enough for him and his parents at his hometown. He got a chance from a local agency to work as a house chauffeur for a Saudi family and consequently he landed at Saudi Arabia around one and an half years ago, contemplating a better livelihood.

The hard work and effort to make one’s dream a reality becomes overturned when destiny gets in the way. And that is what happened to Sudhir.

Sudhir originally hails from Saripalla-Kulashekar and the only son of Chandrashekar couple, who works in a barber shop in Mangalore. He started his work as a house driver for a Saudi family at Majmah, a tiny village within the Qassim province, around 250 kms from Riyadh. His dream was utterly shattered when he became a victim of a road accident that took place in the region around nine months ago.

Sudhir was driving his car on the road one evening in the town. A Saudi national collided with his car causing him to sustain severe injuries to his bladder and also fractured his leg. He was immediately hospitalized for treatment and a case was filed against the Saudi national in the local Shari’ah Court. The court ordered the Saudi national to compensate him SR 20,000. However, his sponsor being impugned by the lower court’s order appealed in Riyadh Court. Meanwhile, the sponsor shifted Sudhir to the Prince Salman Hospital in Riyadh, where he was totally abandoned without his sponsor’s care. Sudhir called him to send him on exit to India, but he refused for the reason that the case was pending in the court. His bladder problem got worsened without being rightly treated as doctors were not in position to restore him to health. Moreover, no one was there to stand by him in his suffering at the hospital all these months.

Karavali Welfare Association (KWAR) and IFF Riyadh turned out to be a friend-in-need to him, when KWAR’s treasurer Rajesh Kumar came to know about his suffering in the hospital from one of Sudhir’s relatives, who contacted KWAR over telephone. KWAR immediately swung into action and upon knowing the information about his whereabouts, rushed to the hospital where he was being treated. He was discharged from the hospital and was taken to Majma’h with the members of KWAR to meet his sponsor for arranging him to send on exit. Though he agreed to send him on exit with the intervention of the association, he demanded Sudhir to execute a power of attorney to pursue the case in the court. Being again faced with this predicament, KWAR with the help of IFF Riyadh unit addressed the issue at once and got a final exit visa along with the air ticket for Sudhir to fly to his home town.

KWAR also helped him to clear all the formalities in the International Airport Riyadh on June 20 and handed over a cheque of Rs 50,000 to Sudhir on the basis of his family’s economic condition back home and for his further medical treatment in Mangalore.

He joined his family last week in Mangalore and is presently admitted to Father Muller's Hospital in Kankanady, Mangalore. KWAR and IFF have been greatly appreciated and his family is grateful to them for arranging his safe homecoming.

Anyone who wants to help him for his medical treatment may please contact Karavali Welfare Association (KWAR) Riyadh.