Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The Indian community in Jeddah has lost one of its prominent leaders and social workers who had contributed immensely to the welfare and progress of the community since his arrival in the Kingdom more than half a century ago. Muhammad Ali Vallanchira, aged 75, died on Thursday afternoon after prolonged illness. Funeral prayer for him was offered after Isha prayers on the same day at Juffali Mosque in Baghdadiyah and the body was buried at Hawwa cemetery in Bab Makkah in the presence of a large number of people including Saudis and Indians. Vallanchira is survived by his wife Zubaida, son Adil, and daughters — Muneera, Nadiya and Nazrin, who are all Saudi citizens. Vallanchira was one of the few Indian expatriates who arrived in Jeddah from the southern state of Kerala as early as in the 1960s. After setting foot in Jeddah in 1964, he did menial jobs for sometime before joining the travel wing of Saddik and Mohammed Attar Company, one of the first registered commercial companies in the Kingdom. He became a senior official when Attar Travel Company was formed later and worked for it for about 30 years. He was Attar's operations manager at the time of his retirement. Vallanchira developed close association with Mankarathodi Abdullah Haji, an official in charge of Haj affairs at the then Jeddah-based Indian Embassy. Later on, he married Zubaida, the youngest daughter of Abdullah Haji, a Saudi citizen of Indian origin hailing from Malappuram district of Kerala. Vallanchira had remained a stellar pillar in supporting those who migrated to Jeddah in 1970s and 80s. He was instrumental in getting jobs for many Indian expatriates during the early period of Gulf migration. Vallanchira was also in the forefront of all the social and cultural organizations of the Keralite community in Jeddah. He was the founder president of Saudi Indian Football Forum (SIFF). Vallanchira, who was keen in the educational uplift of the community, also played a leading role in the formation of the Saudi chapters of Muslim Educational Society, and Center for Information and Guidance India (CIGI). He had served as chairman of the Saudi western region chapter of Malabar Airport Development Action Committee (MADAC), besides holding key positions of several other organizations, including Kairali and Indian Fine Arts. Vallanchira was very much fond of travel and his job in Attar gave him abundant opportunities to make whirlwind tours of almost all parts of the world. He visited at least 51 countries spreading over five continents. He was also adventurous and this prompted him to travel by road from London to Jeddah several years ago. He drove the car along with two of his Saudi friends. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, his son Adil and several prominent figures of the Keralite community shared their loving memories and unforgettable experiences with Vallanchira, who was famous for his unique sense of humor. "My father was always supportive to the family and those around him. He taught us to love education but never forced us to do anything against our will. He was a loving father who used to teach me mathematics although he did not speak Arabic fluently." "Father used to tell us jokes and cheer us up, when we were children. I found him always praising Almighty Allah for giving him more than what he had expected." Adil, executive director of International Food Industry (IFI), a subsidiary of Savola Group, recalled that his father was a true self-made man. "He lost his father when he was 12 and obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Calicut after fighting against odds. He then left his native town of Manjeri for Mumbai to make ends meet and later reached Jeddah on board a ship. His hard work and commitment gave him success in career with Attar Company." Mohammed Alungal, president of Abeer Medical Group, said that the death of Vallanchira is an irreparable loss for the community as he was a true guide and leader of the community. "He was always active with energizing the Indian expatriate community in all walks of their life. He was a gentleman in all senses of the word and a true friend in need," Alungal said, adding that Vallanchira was able to befriend a large number of people with his sense of humor and jovial nature. "Even though his wife and children are Saudis, Vallanchira was always keen to find time to go down memory lane to share nostalgic feelings and make us laugh," he said. K.P. Abdul Salam, managing director of Alpha Cargo Services, recalled his four-decade-old friendship and close association with the deceased leader. We called him affectionately Muhammad Ali Kaka, which is a word denoting respect for elders. "I am sure, many of us who came here a few decades ago, are indebted to him for the guidance and support he provided us over the years to help us become what we are today," he said. Dr. Abdullah Moopan, who died in 2011, and Abdul Salam were the close associates of Vallanchira in most of the social activities in 1980s and 90s. "As a community leader, he had been active in almost all major issues facing them. I never saw him losing his temper and he approached even the very serious matters and embarrassing situations with a smile and without losing his sense of humor," he said. Musafir, a prominent journalist and writer, recalled that though his wife and children are Saudis, Vallanchira was always fond of sharing his childhood memories and nostalgic feelings whenever he gets an opportunity to spend free time in the company of his Indian friends. "It seems that he had really enjoyed and had a sense of pride in leading the life of an Indian in a Saudi family. We can see in him the bonds of strong Indian-Saudi ties," Musafir said adding that he was keen in spreading the radiance of his innocent nature and qualities as a magnanimous human being with a deep of love of fellow beings. T.M.A. Rauf, chairman of Indo-Saudi Friendship Forum, said that Vallanchira's role was remarkable in all the major social and cultural activities of Keralites in Jeddah during 1980 and 90s. "I worked with him while he was the president of MADAC's Western region chapter. Under his captaincy, we made a relentless fight to realize the long cherished dream of direct flights between Calicut and the Saudi sector. He worked selflessly with sincerity and dedication to serve the just causes of the Indian expatriate community," said Rauf. Meanwhile, a condolence meeting of JeddahIndian community will be conducted on Friday. The meeting will be held at Impala Garden, Sharafiyyah immediately after Isha prayer in order to enable the community members to pay tribute to him and offer condolences, said Salam, organizer of the event. "Vallanchira's son Adil has consented to attend the event, he added.
