Dubai man pays tribute to 'perfect' wife killed in Sri Lanka bombings
The story was originally published on www.thenational.ae and was covered by Thufail Muhammad
The husband of Razeena Kukkady, a Dubai resident who was killed in Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bombings last month, said that his life would never be the same after the tragedy.
The National reported last month that Razeena, 60, was at breakfast at the five-star Shangri-La hotelwhen two suicide bombers detonated their devices in one of a series of attacks on three hotels and three churches in the capital Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa.
At least 250 people died, including children and 42 foreign nationals.
(Abdul Khader Kukkady: Photo-thenational.ae)
Razeena, whose family are from India, grew up in Sri Lanka but later moved to Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai with her husband, Abdul Khader Kukkady, 69.
“Life without Razeena will not be the same again. Not remotely even similar,” Abdul Khader said at a remembrance gathering for mourners in Dubai on Friday.
“She was perfect in every sense and always craved for excellence. She did not wish ill on anyone.
“Many people have tried to comfort me by saying, ‘God calls back early the people he loves the most’. But that’s no answer for such a tragic end to her life.
(Abdul Khader Kukkady with his daughter Farah and son Khanfer talks about his wife Razeena: Photo-thenational.ae)
“She was very, very special. She took care of the lives of so many people. She had a lot more to offer to her community. People tell me her death makes her a shaheed (martyr), but for what cause?”
Their daughter Farah Kukkady, 35, a management consultant who lives in Texas, also paid tribute to her mother.
“My mother struck a bond with everyone irrespective of their age, social or economic status,” Farah said.
“She would forgive people, even if they were extremely rude to her. She had lots and lots of love. She had a great ear for music. She picked up new languages easily.”
The couple had been holidaying in Sri Lanka for just over a week and on the morning of the attack, Abdul Khader flew back to his job as a project director in Dubai.
Razeena was days away from her 61st birthday and was scheduled to fly to India the following day.
Abdul Khader was told of his wife’s death when his flight landed. He flew back to Sri Lanka that day with his brother and nephew and said it was the toughest journey he had ever taken.
“So many thoughts crossed my mind during the trip. My immediate reaction was anger and rage rather than grief,” he said.
“When I then saw my beautiful Razeena lying motionless, I was shell-shocked. She had a smile on her face and there were no apparent scars.
"I was furious at myself, and at the people who had done this. I felt helpless but I couldn’t cry.”
Security lapses have been blamed for the attacks, which were carried out by an ISIS-linked group, and Abdul Khader criticised the Shangri La-for a lack of security checks.
“There was absolutely no security there – zero security,” he said. "It’s totally beyond me that the attackers could check in to a hotel room and stay there overnight with explosives.”
Razeena was buried the day after the attack at a mosque in Colombo, in a ceremony attended by the couple’s friends and family.
Their son Khanfer, 38, an engineer who lives in California, and Farah arrived the day after the funeral and were upset that they had been unable not see their mother one last time to say a proper farewell.
Khanfer spoke to her by phone half an hour before the attack.
Abdul Khader, a soft-spoken man, said he could finally “cry his soul out” after he being reunited with his children.
They are planning to launch an initiative in his late wife Razeena’s memory, although they are yet to decide on details.
(Razeena Kukkady's daughter Farah: Photo-thenational.ae)
The premature death of the cherished wife and devoted mother has left a big void in the lives of her family, and her son dreads to think about the impact it will have on his two-year-old daughter.
“Mila developed a great bond with my mum when she visited us in the US last November," he said.
"She is always asking me to show her the pictures that her grandma has sent her. Now if she asks and I don’t show her, she will get upset."
Courtesy: www.thenational.ae
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NDA's win in Bihar Assembly bypolls a matter of concern: Prashant Kishor
Patna, Nov 23: Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday dubbed as "a matter of concern" the NDA's win in assembly by-polls in Bihar despite "failure" of the BJP-led coalition to end the state's chronic backwardness during it's decades-long rule.
Talking to reporters here shortly after the results were out, Kishor also drew succour from the fact that his fledgling Jan Suraaj won "10 per cent" of the total votes polled in four seats, but rubbished the claim that it had played a role in the RJD's defeat in three of these.
"RJD is a 30-year-old party. The son of its state president finished third. Can Jan Suraaj be faulted for that? In Belaganj all Muslim votes went to the JD(U) candidate. In Imamganj, the Jan Suraaj cut into NDA votes. Else, the victory margin of (Union minister) Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha would have been bigger", asserted Kishor.
Notably, Imamganj, a reserved seat, was retained by Manjhi's daughter-in-law Deepa, who defeated the RJD candidate by a thin margin of less than 6,000 votes. Jan Suraaj candidate Jitendra Paswan finished third, polling more than 37,000 votes.
When pointed out that in three of the four seats, candidates of Jan Suraaj had polled less than one-sixth of the total votes and ran the risk of losing their deposits, Kishor shot back "That should not be a matter of concern (chinta ki baat). If there is a matter of concern, it is the ability of the NDA to make a clean sweep despite having ruled Bihar for so long and "failed" to end the state's backwardness".
The IPAC founder, who had a brief stint in the JD(U), insisted that the party's supremo Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, was a "spent force" and its candidate, former MLC Manorama Devi, had won on her own steam.
"We have always said that our fight is with NDA, not with RJD despite its claim of being the largest party in Bihar.....(but) Nitish Kumar is no factor. His party polled just about 11 per cent of total votes", said Kishor.
About his own party's inability to make a mark, Kishor said "We have secured 10 per cent votes..... in seats where Jan Suraaj had no presence since these areas were yet to be covered by my padyatra. Also, please note that we got our poll symbol after filing of nomination papers was over".
He also maintained that the Jan Suraaj will go solo in the assembly polls due next year when it will contest "all 243 seats".
"We were initially written off but by garnering about 10 per cent votes, in a state known to vote along predictable caste lines, we have proved a point. In the next few months we shall be strengthening the organization to ensure that vote share of the Jan Suraaj improves", he said.
