A year ago, Komal Parmar and her son Aayush entered the Khaleej Times office in Dubai with little more than hope.
This was their first journey outside Gujarat, embarked upon with almost no funds and no solid leads. For over three years, they had been searching for Komal’s husband, Sanjay, who had disappeared in the UAE. They pursued every lead back home, filed complaints with authorities, and reached out to anyone who might assist, but to no avail.
Each time Komal called his number, there was no answer. Her messages were ignored, and the family, exhausted and worried, prepared for the worst.
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Unbeknownst to Komal, Sanjay had fallen on hard times. Deceived by a recruitment agent and left without legal documentation or money, he was too ashamed to contact his family.
“Initially, it was just a few days of silence, which turned into years of separation,” Sanjay later confessed. “Guilt consumed me.”
Amidst these circumstances, Komal and Aayush traveled to Dubai last September — a final effort to find Sanjay.
“We just wanted to know if he was alive,” Komal remembered. Hours after their story appeared in Khaleej Times, a message came from Abu Dhabi. Ali Hasnain, a Pakistani Etisalat technician, recognized Sanjay in the article.
He and his brother, Mohammad Naseem, had taken the Indian worker in, providing him with food, shelter, and respect when he had nowhere else to go.
The next morning, Khaleej Times took Komal and Aayush to Abu Dhabi.
The reunion was emotional and overwhelming. Sanjay ran to embrace his family, tears of relief flowing after years of struggle.
Photo: Muhammad Sajjad
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Life after the storm
Today, 12 months later, the Parmars are back in Vadodara. While life hasn’t become perfect overnight, they now cherish even the simplest moments: sharing meals, chatting in the living room, and celebrating small victories.
“This time last year we were wandering in Dubai, uncertain if we’d ever see Sanjay again. Now he sits beside me every day,” Komal said. “It feels like we’ve regained our lives.”
Komal is profoundly thankful to the strangers who made their reunion possible. “Ali Hasnain and Mohammad Naseem from Pakistan treated my husband like a brother. Social worker Roshan Ratauri spent days helping us close police files and complete paperwork. Their kindness will stay with us forever.”
The timing of their return feels symbolic. “We returned to Gujarat during Ganesh Chaturthi last year. Now, as the festival comes again, I remember those days in Dubai.”
Sanjay, now employed again in Vadodara, said the reunion gave him a second chance. “I missed out on years with my family. I can’t change the past, but every day I try to make up for that lost time. I’ve realized nothing is more important than family.”
Meanwhile, Aayush, who has since started work as a trainee engineer, said the ordeal taught him resilience. “We went through the worst time of our lives, but it showed me how fragile everything is. Now, the best part of my day is just talking to my father about work or hearing his advice. It’s something I thought I’d lost forever.”
Their eldest son, who works abroad, flew down to India soon after the reunion. For Komal, seeing all four of them together in their Vadodara home was the moment she finally felt whole again. The family shared a photograph of themselves smiling, an image Komal says is “proof that miracles happen.”
Though the scars of those years remain, the Parmars now view life differently. “We used to take things for granted…festivals, family time, even small conversations,” Komal said. “For us now, every one of those moments feels precious.”
And as Gujarat once again celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi, she cannot help but reflect on the journey. “Last year at this time, I was in the UAE, not knowing if we’d ever see Sanjay again. This year, he’s home. That is our biggest blessing.”
