A 54-year-old man from Kollam was found dead on a bench at Al Ittihad Square Park in Sharjah, where he had been living in solitude for the past seven years.

For Shajahan, a native of Punalur, the park had become home after years of estrangement from his family. It was there that he died on the evening of August 3, 2026.

For several hours, passersby assumed he was asleep on the bench, unaware that he had died. It was only later that night that police arrived and removed his body, bringing to an end a lonely life spent far from home.

A life spent adrift
Shajahan's story reflects the darker side of the Gulf migration experience. He spent more than 26 years in the Middle East, including a decade as a driver in Saudi Arabia, before his life took a tragic turn.

Over the years, he completely lost contact with his family in Kerala. He did not return home even for the weddings of his daughter, Tasnim, and his son, Ashique.

In Sharjah, Shajahan lived among the homeless at Al Ittihad Square Park, surviving on food and money offered by well-wishers. He bathed at a nearby mosque and, despite suffering from severe diabetes, rarely sought medical care.

A chance encounter in Sharjah
Maya, a resident of Karunagappally who works for an insurance firm in Sharjah, was one of the few who tried to help him.

She first met Shajahan outside a restaurant in Rolla and began bringing him food regularly. Despite his fiercely private nature, Shajahan eventually handed Maya his wife’s contact details.

When Maya contacted his relatives, she uncovered a painful reality. His wife, Shailaja, revealed that the family had been drowning in debt incurred to finance Shajahan’s journey to the UAE, even as he chose to live in self-imposed exile. Although Maya urged him to use his UAE driving license to find work and support his family, Shajahan began avoiding her, embarrassed or perhaps defeated by his circumstances.

A daughter's final plea
Shahjahan's death came to the notice of Maya after one of her friends spotted the police loading a body into an ambulance at the park. Fearing the worst, Maya contacted Shahjahan's family, confirming his identity using a copy of his passport and an old photograph.

The news of his death came as a shock to his daughter Tasnim. She has not seen or spoken to her father in seven years.

Desperate to see his face one last time, she is pleading with social workers and the Indian Consulate to help repatriate his body to Kerala, hoping to give a dignified end to a man who lived and died in silence.