JEDDAH – I have mixed feelings of gratification and sorrow while leaving the Kingdom after serving the Indian Consulate General and the Haj Mission for three years, said outgoing Deputy Consul General and Haj Consul Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh. "I think it is a great blessing to get an opportunity to serve hundreds of thousands of Guests of God and enable them to perform their rituals in ease and comfort. At the same time, I can leave only with a heavy heart while thinking the very prospect of saying goodbye to the two holy cities and the vibrant Indian community in Jeddah and other parts of the western region," he told Saudi Gazette. Sheikh left Jeddah on board the New Delhi-bound Air India flight on Monday evening and will spend two weeks in his home city of Imphal in the northeastern state of Manipur. He will fly to New York on Nov. 16 to take over the new assignment as first secretary at India's Permanent Mission at the United Nations. Muhammad Shahid Alam, who hails from Dhanbad in the northern Indian state of Jharkhand, will take over as the new consul of Haj. Earlier, addressing a send-off function organized by the JeddahIndian Media Forum (JIMF), Sheikh said that his tenure as consul of Haj for four Haj seasons has provided him with unforgettable experiences and unique moments of spirituality. "It was a great blessing from Allah that gave me an amazing experience to render dedicated services to more than 500,000 Indian pilgrims during this period. It has given me immense pleasure and satisfaction while serving the Guests of God directly and indirectly at the helm of India's Haj mission together with Consul General B.S. Mubarak and his predecessor Faiz Ahmed Kidwai." Apart from the unfortunate tragedies of Haram crane crash and Mina stampede, this year's Haj operation was very much smooth and comfortable. The number of complaints from Hajis with regard to their transportation, accommodation and medical services were the minimum compared to the previous years. "The Pilgrims' Accommodation Locator, WhatsApp, Facebook, as well as standardized baggage are some of the examples for the qualitative leap in the high tech facilities and services introduced for the pilgrims. The Indian Haj mission has won accolades for this from the Saudi authorities, especially the ministries of Haj and health, as well as from Haj missions of other countries. In the backdrop of the Mina stampede, in which 118 Indian Hajis were killed and four others are still unaccounted for, Sheikh underscored the need for conducting intensive awareness programs among the Haj pilgrims before their departure for the Kingdom. "Providing basic information about geographical features of Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites, including the distance between the Makkah Haram and the holy sites, and observing the time schedule allotted for them to perform stoning ritual are to be given priority in such awareness programs," he said while lauding the selfless services of Indian volunteers, especially Keralites, for the pilgrims from all over the world. Sheikh thanked the Indian community and the media personnel for their full support to him. JIMF President P.M. Mayinkutty and General Secretary C.K. Morayur presented a memento to Sheikh. Abdul Rahman Wandoor, Jaleel Kannamangalam, Ebrahim Shamnad, Kabeer Kondotty, Sulfeekar Othay, K.T. Musthafa and Jihaduddin are among those who attended the function.
