Indian man stuck in Bahrain for 42 years finally returns home: 'You were never forgotten'
An Indian man who had been stranded in the Middle East for over 40 years will be reunited with his family in Kerala, bringing an end to his heartbreaking story of loss and survival. 74-year-old Gopalan Chandran, an Indian expatriate had been stuck in Bahrain for over four decades where he had moved to seek better job opportunities.
A resident of a small village near Powdikonam in Trivandrum, Kerala, Gopalan had arrived in Bahrain on August 16, 1983 hoping to secure a well paying job to help his family back in India. Like many migrant workers, he left home with high hopes and youthful ambition, driven by the promise of a better life but fate had other plans.
Soon after he reached Bahrain, his employer died untimely and his passport was lost. Suddenly, Chandran became undocumented and over the years he fell through the cracks of the immigration system and was stranded in Bahrain for what seemed like eternity.
Living his life in a legal limbo, Gopalan survived quietly in the shadows before his return home was made possible by the Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC), an NGO which comprised retured judges, lawyers and journalists who fight for Indians facing injustice in India and abroad.
Sudheer Thirunilath, the Bahrain Chapter President of PLC along with his team coordinated with the Embassy of India in Bahrain and the Kingdom's Immigration Department to cut through years of bureaucratic red tape and secure Gopalan's return.
"Gopalan finally return home to see his 95-year-old mother—who never stopped waiting for her son. He boards his flight home today morning with no belongings—only memories, tears, and the dream of reuniting with family. This isn't just a story of a man going home. It's a story of what happens when humanity, justice, and relentless kindness come together. It's a symbol of hope for countless migrants who remain unheard. Welcome home, Gopalan. You were never forgotten," PLC said in a post on Facebook.
(Also read: Man stranded in Dubai after accepting fake job offer; Vij orders probe)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
26 minutes ago
- News18
Stocks To Watch: HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, Ambuja, And Others
Last Updated: Stocks to watch: Shares of firms like HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, Ambuja, and others will be in focus on Monday's trade Stocks to Watch on June 9, 2025: Markets wrapped up the week on a positive note, gaining nearly a percent, supported by favorable domestic cues. In today's trade, shares of HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, and MCX, among others, will be in focus due to various news developments. The capital markets regulator, SEBI, issued a corrigendum to its interim order in the insider trading case involving IndusInd Bank. Ambuja Cements In its latest annual report, Adani Group's Ambuja Cements highlighted that it contributes nearly 30% of the cement used for India's homes and infrastructure, making it the country's second-largest cement producer. Airtel Telecom operator Airtel has approached over 40 banks, as well as the RBI and NPCI, proposing a collaborative effort to curb digital frauds. The company aims to establish a unified front for sharing intelligence on known fraudulent financial domains. Reliance Infrastructure plans to 'turbocharge' its defense vertical in the coming years, focusing on aircraft upgrade programs. The company recently became the first private sector firm to independently execute a comprehensive aircraft upgrade program, traditionally dominated by public sector units and OEMs. It's targeting opportunities worth Rs 5,000 crore over the next seven to ten years. HDFC Bank's MD and CEO, Sashidhar Jagdishan, has been named in a complaint filed by the Mehta Family through Lilavati Kirtilal Medical Trust. The complaint alleges he received Rs 2.05 crore to harass a current trustee's father. HDFC Bank has dismissed the allegations as baseless and part of an attempt to derail loan recovery efforts. The Government has appointed Sat Pal Bhanoo as the CEO and MD of LIC for a three-month term starting Sunday. This comes after Siddhartha Mohanty completed his tenure, with the Ministry of Finance conveying the instructions on Saturday. Infosys Infosys announced that the Director General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has closed pre-show cause notice proceedings against the company for FY 2018-19 to FY 2021-22, involving Rs 32,403 crore in GST claims. Tata Steel Tata Steel UK's annual £150 million export to the US faces a potential setback due to compliance issues in the UK-US steel trade agreement. The company has temporarily halted melting and pouring steel in the UK as it transitions Port Talbot from blast furnaces to an electric arc furnace, a requirement for tariff-free trade under current rules. Aditya Birla Group Aditya Birla Group's Indian paints venture has filed an antitrust complaint against Asian Paints for allegedly abusing its market dominance, according to Reuters. The complaint could trigger a legal clash between the two sector rivals. Suzlon Energy Promoters of Suzlon Energy may sell about 20 crore shares in a potential Rs 1,300 crore block deal next week, likely at a 2% discount to the current market price. This update comes after Suzlon reported a nearly five-fold jump in net profit in Q4FY25. Lupin Lupin has received tentative approval from the US FDA for its generic version of Oxcarbazepine Extended-Release (ER) Tablets in 150 mg, 300 mg, and 600 mg strengths. The drug, equivalent to Supernus Pharmaceuticals' Oxtellar XR, will be manufactured at Lupin's Nagpur facility in India. Nazara Technologies Nazara Technologies has completed the acquisition of gaming and entertainment company Smaaash Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. for Rs 126 crore, turning it into a wholly owned subsidiary, the company announced on June 6. Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 09, 2025, 07:40 IST News business » markets Stocks To Watch: HDFC Bank, Suzlon Energy, Tata Steel, BEL, Ambuja, And Others
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
14 years after death, Husain remains on saffron radar
MUMBAI: More than two dozen rare paintings by M F Husain will go under the hammer on June 12, evoking a sense of déjà vu. The Indian modernist has, over the years, drawn the attention of saffron outfits, not so much for his artistic genius but his bold and controversial depiction of Indian gods and goddesses and, on one occasion, Bharat Mata (Mother India). It is this sense of outrage accompanied by protest that has returned 14 years after the artist's passing. The 25 Husains to be auctioned on June 12 have been caught in legal crosshairs. These paintings were secured by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) as part of a case involving an unpaid loan of ₹236 crore by industrialist Guru Swarup Srivastava's Swarup Group of Industries. The artworks are part of Husain's 'Our Planet Called Earth' series and titled under the auction theme 'MF Husain: An Artist's Vision of the XX Century'. The price they fetch at the auction, at the Pundole Art Gallery, will contribute to the recovery of the loan default. Srivastava in 2004 had commissioned Husain to paint 100 works, for ₹1 crore each. The artist, aged 90 then, completed 25 paintings in the series. In 2006, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initiated a probe into the Swarup Group for alleged misappropriation of ₹150 crore from a ₹236-crore loan from NAFED. In 2008, a tribunal permitted NAFED to secure assets of ₹100 crore, including the Husain paintings. The artworks have been locked up in a bank vault since. Now, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, which has raised its voice against Husain's work before, has called for a ban on the June 12 auction. Claiming that Husain has hurt Hindu and national sentiments, the outfit has warned of 'strong public protest' if the auction goes through. A delegation of the samiti has submitted a memorandum to the office of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mumbai Police Commissioner and the District Collector, demanding a ban on the auction. The samiti and other right-wing outfits were particularly enraged and called for Husain's arrest several years ago, when he exhibited a painting titled 'Bharat Mata'. The artwork depicted the map of India as an unclothed female figure that bore the names of Indian cities on her body. Saffron outfits and activists vandalised Husain's shows in several India cities, and the artist eventually apologised for hurting people's sentiments, although he claimed the name 'Bharat Mata' had not been assigned to the painting by him. Nevertheless, a legal battle ensued and, in September 2008, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition against Husain, stating the painting was a 'work of art'. But repeated conflicts with saffron outfits and hundreds of complaints filed against him forced Husain to leave India in 2005. He died in London in 2011. 'He deliberately painted vulgar and obscene images of goddesses Saraswati, Parvati, Ganga and Yamuna, thereby gravely hurting the sentiments of millions of Hindus in the world. Over 1,250 police complaints were filed across India against these offensive depictions… Holding an auction of Husain's paintings is like indirectly supporting his previous anti-national and anti-social acts. Glorifying such individuals under the guise of 'artistic freedom' is unacceptable,' said the letter submitted by the samiti. Sunil Ghanwat, state coordinator of the Hindu Janajaruti Samiti, said, 'Legal action should be taken against individuals, organisations or galleries involved in displaying or selling such works. The dissemination of artwork that insults national or religious sentiments must be prohibited. Additionally, the insulting painting of Bharat Mata should be officially declared as anti-national and destroyed.' Asked if they had information that some of those controversial paintings were to be auctioned, Ghanwat said they were not protesting any paintings in particular; they were opposing the artist Husain. Dadiba Pundole from Pundole Art Gallery said, 'The court has ordered us to conduct the auction of Husain's paintings. It will be conducted as per schedule. If anyone has any objections, they are free to go to court.'
Hans India
39 minutes ago
- Hans India
Minister Lokesh's intervention rescues Gulf victim
Rajamahendravaram: Thanks to the timely intervention and persistent efforts of Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Real Time Governance and Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh, a woman from East Godavari district who endured over 16 months of suffering in Kuwait has safely returned to her native village. Chilaka Nirmala, a resident of Prakasaraopalem village in Nallajerla mandal, had migrated to Kuwait nearly a year and a half ago in search of employment. While the initial two months went smoothly, her ordeal began in the third month when she started facing severe harassment at the hands of her employer's wife. Speaking to The Hans India, Nirmala said that she was subjected to inhumane treatment, denied proper food, and burdened with excessive workload. Her physical and mental health deteriorated gradually. Despite enduring the abuse for a year, her health declined to the point that she attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills, an attempt that ultimately failed. In a desperate last attempt to escape, she reached out to Prakasaraopalem Sarpanch K. John Victor Babu, Gopalapuram Market Committee Chairman Y. Brahma Raju, and AP Health Employees Society State Secretary GVV Prasad. Moved by her plight, they escalated the matter to Gopalapuram MLA Maddipati Venkataraju, urging him to initiate rescue efforts. The MLA, in turn, brought the issue to the notice of Minister Nara Lokesh. Responding swiftly, Lokesh coordinated with the Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) and facilitated communication with the Indian Embassy in Kuwait. Subsequently, the embassy summoned both Nirmala and her employers, held discussions, and with the support of the embassy and APNRTS, made arrangements for her safe repatriation to India. Visibly emotional, Nirmala expressed her gratitude, stating, 'I never imagined I would return home alive. This feels like a rebirth. I will forever remain indebted to Minister Nara Lokesh and MLA Venkataraju for saving my life.' Later, she visited MLA Venkataraju at his office in Nallajerla and thanked him for his role in her rescue. The MLA assured her that the government would extend all necessary support for her medical and economic rehabilitation. This incident not only highlights the hardships faced by migrant workers but also underscores the importance of government intervention in protecting the rights and lives of citizens abroad.
