A former Dubai resident who used to work as a film distributor in the UAE and was presumed dead in an air crash in 1976 is all set to reunite with his family today, July 26, 2021.
Sajjad Tangal, who hails from Kollam in Kerala, suffered post-traumatic stress after losing several of his friends in an air crash that killed 95 persons. His family thought that he too died while onboard, but the man remained so dejected that he preferred not to meet them in India. He dabbled in several businesses, lost money, and is now set to reunite with the family.
Working as a film distributor in the UAE, he was often involved in organizing visits by Malayalam stars for live shows and performances.
Tangal arrived in Dubai by boat in the early 70s and organized a dance show by then-famous Malayalam actress and beauty pageant winner Rani Chandra. He was scheduled to accompany the actress and her troupe back to Kerala, but canceled his trip at the last moment to finish some work in Dubai.
Meanwhile, Rani and her group proceeded on travel from Dubai to Mumbai from where they boarded an ill-fated Indian Airlines flight on October 12, 1976, to reach Kerala.
The jet took off but due to an engine snag, it crashed immediately after take-off near the runway, and all 95 persons who were on board including Rani and some of Sajjad’s friends were killed.
At a rescue home in Panvel, Navi Mumbai where he has been staying since 2019, Sajjad, 70, still vividly remembers the events of the tragic disaster that took place nearly 45 years ago. He said he was “shattered and did not know what to do.” In Kerala, his family believed that he was also killed in the accident. After the air crash, he suffered post-traumatic stress and soon returned to Mumbai to do odd jobs to make both ends meet, as per reports from Khaleej Times
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The money that he had made in Dubai was lost in his several businesses and at one point in time, he even sold idlis and dosas to sustain himself. For years Sajjad struggled and did not even want to keep in touch with his parents and extended family members back home.
It was in 2019 that a few of his friends met with K.M. Philip, founder of a non-governmental organization called Social and Evangelical Association for Love (SEAL), which is engaged in reuniting the hapless folks with their families.
Recalling Sajjad’s condition, Philip said, “he was in a terrible shape, and we had no hope of him becoming normal anytime soon. We brought him to our shelter and gradually he began to improve.”
Recently one of the social workers from SEAL visited Kerala and managed to trace Sajjad’s family.
Philip said that his mother, Fathima Beevi, 91, was waiting for his return while his father, Yunis Kunju, passed away in 2012. His two brothers will visit him on Monday at the community center in Panvel to take him back home. (AW)
