Dear Pak cabbie in the UAE, you showed us what humanity means

Just imagine what you would feel when you find that you’ve lost your wallet with all your valuables and that too in a country which is quiet strict when it comes to documentation. That is a nightmare every Indian working in the Mideast hopes will not happen to him.

But that's exactly what Hisham Abdulsalam, a non-resident Keralite working in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, and an Attingal native, found himself going through. He had forgotten his wallet in a taxi on Saturday at 8.00pm. His wallet included all the important documents including his identity card, and cash.

Speaking to Onmanoarama, Abdulsalam said that once he realized he had lost the wallet, he lodged a complaint at the nearby police station as it had contained his PAN card, bank cards and Emirates identity card.

Here comes the good part, one that makes up sit up and think of ourselves as humans and what it means to be a human. At around 12.45 am, there was a knock on Abdulsalam’s door; it was the taxi driver, a Pakistani national. The cabbie gave Abdulsalam his wallet back and asked him to check whether all his belongings were intact including the cash.

Abdulsalam said that during their drive in the cab, the driver had talked about how much he liked Indians especially Keralites and that he had a lot of Indian friends. "The driver came back and showed around my identity card to people nearby so that he could locate my place,” he said.

When an overjoyed Abdulsalam tried to reward the driver, he declined the gesture and said, "Brother this is my duty, you are happy and that's all that matters to me".

The incident, coming amid the rising jingoism, the divides over religions, reminds us what it is to be human. This NRI Malayali took to Facebook to narrate his experience, saying all is not lost for humanity and that people like the Pakistani cabbie make life meaningful and easy.

Abdulsalam also pointed to the hints of racial discrimination that at least some Keralite folks make when they talk of Pakistanis. His posts make us think that it’s moments like this that make us realize that humanity does not have any borders, color, caste or creed.

All is not lost for humanity – yet.

Dear NRIs, if you want to share similar experiences, please tweet to us @Onmanoramalive. We will be happy to publish them, and together let us reclaim humanity amid all the tales of despair and xenophobia.