Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Dec 28: They say we must never forget those who have helped us or been an important part of our journey of life. They may be our teachers who taught us the alphabet, maids and nannies who looked after us when we were little, a friend who stood by us in our toughest times, or a distant relative whose timely help saved the day.

In a heart-warming gesture, a top Bahrain diplomat, none other than the foreign minister himself, came all the way to Mangaluru to meet his nanny who had looked after him in his childhood.

Bahrain foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, on Wednesday December 28 shared a picture on Instagram that would make every Mangalurean sit up and applaud the minister's kindness.

The picture is of Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa sharing smiles with Carmine Mathias, who is now 93.

"With my nanny who looked after me as her son since my childhood; Mama Carmine Mathias, at her home in Manglore, Karnataka..," he said in his post.

Carmine went to Bahrain as nanny to him and his siblings way back in 1959, when she was 35 and he was not even born. Recalling the love and care she showered upon the children, the minister said, "She came to Bahrain when she was 35 years old in January 1959. Now she is 93. She looked after my late brother Abdalla, myself and my two younger sisters Maie and Lulwa. She gave us the best of her love and care .. we cherish every moment in our life with her. May God bless her soul and give her good health and longevity."

The post has gone viral, garnering over 300 comments and over 4,150 likes in a matter of hours.

The minister, who is on a private visit to India also visited Kerala before coming to Mangaluru. While in Kerala, he visited Layla in Kollam, who worked as maid for Khalid's family for 21 years in Bahrain.