Agali: She was born in Pune, married to a Pakistani and a teacher in Dubai. And henceforth, Attappadi in Kerala's Wayanad district would be the final resting place of 81-year old, Saira Syed Muhammed.
Saira reached Fujairah almost five decades ago.
All was well till her husband's death. Saira experienced a deep loneliness after he left her. Only her youngest son Parvez, who became mentally unstable after an accident, was with her at the time. Her eldest son Taj Ali was in Uzbekistan and her daughter Madeena Syed worked in Dubai.
With none to take to care of her, Saira's condition worsened. She was plagued with various illnesses.
Social activist and founder of Shanti Gramam, Uma Preman who knew her plight came to aid the octogenerian. A year ago, with the help of Malayali expatriates, Uma brought Saira to Shanthi Gramam in Attappadi. She and her son Parvez had been living at the centre ever since.
After a long life's jouney which took her to various places, the 81-year-old breathed her last on Saturday morning in God's Own Country. The funeral was held at Agali.
The social activist said that her elder brother will take Parvez to Uzbekistan.
Shanti Gramam is a physio-therapy centre set in the tribal village of Mattathukadu in Attappadi. It picks up ailing and orphaned individuals from the society and nurses them back to health. The centre primarily focusses on tribal upliftment through skill based small scale industries.
