An Indian expatriate couple is bidding farewell to Bahrain today after spending 41 memorable years in the kingdom.
P T Thomas and his wife Annamma, both 62, had originally planned a short stay, intending to return to their hometown in Kerala after a few years of work. However, their journey unfolded into a lifetime filled with cherished experiences in what they fondly describe as ‘a beautiful country with warm-hearted people’.
Entrepreneur Mr Thomas arrived in the kingdom in 1984 as an electrician. The Juffair resident spent the next 20 years, climbing the ranks within his organisation, and in 2003, he left the company as an electrical supervisor. He then went on to establish his own electrical business.
Ms Thomas, who previously served as a nurse in the Indian Army, joined him in 1990 and continued her nursing career with the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital. She retired this year as a nursing supervisor.
Ms Thomas during her nursing days in Bahrain
The couple has two children, who attended the Indian School Bahrain. Son Noble, 28, recently completed his Masters in dentistry, and daughter Liji, 34, lives with her husband Jinsu Koshy in Australia. They are both engineers and work there.
“My family has had such a good life here and while we are excited to go home, we will miss the people and the place dearly,” Mr Thomas told the GDN.
“We have more friends here than back home, including many Bahrainis. Our children grew up here. Bahrain has always been so safe. I remember my wife walking home alone from the bus stop for so many years and always feeling secure.
“So much has changed over the last four decades. We’ve seen tremendous development; however, the essence of the kingdom remains the same as when I first arrived,” he added.
Seated from left, Mr and Mrs Jose and Mr and Mrs Thomas and standing from left, Jerin, Jomin, Acsah, Liji, Mr Koshy and Noble during a desert camp in Janabiya four years ago
Reminiscing his most memorable experience in Bahrain, Mr Thomas highlighted his longstanding friendship with Indian expatriates, K C Jose and his wife Mary. The couples have lived together for the last 31 years.
“My colleague told me his brother-in-law was looking for a place and requested if he could stay with me. I used to live in Manama then. I said yes and that marked the beginning of our friendship,” Mr Thomas noted, adding that they started working together after he closed his business following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Incidentally, Mr Jose, who runs a water purification business, also plans to return home next year with wife Mary, who previously worked as a nurse in the maternity section of Salmaniya Medical Complex for 20 years before becoming a homemaker.
Mr and Mrs Jose with Jomin and Acsah
The couple has three children – Jomin, 34, who currently lives with his wife and child in Kerala; Acsah, 28, who is pursuing her PhD in nuclear medicine in Spain, and Jerin, 24, who works in Saudi Arabia as a robotic pilot for Aramco.
“We were all the same age and so, we got along well. We cooked together and took care of each other’s children. Our friendship grew gradually and today, our families are very close. Most people in our church think we are brothers,” Mr Jose said.
The families attend the Assemblies of God Church Bahrain in Segaiya.
Ms Thomas receiving the Natcho Karshakashree Award on behalf of her husband
After the children were born, they moved to a bigger house in Umm Al Hassam and then, to their current villa in Juffair. During this time, they began small-scale farming and have been growing a variety of fresh produce, like tomatoes, cauliflower and potatoes, for the last two decades – something Mr Thomas hopes to continue once he moves back.
“We share a love for gardening and so most of the food we cooked came from our own home. We shared the surplus with friends and members of our church,” said Mr Thomas, who plans to venture into aquaponics, a sustainable food production system, once he returns home. Mr Thomas even won the Natcho Karshakashree Award for his vegetable garden in Bahrain in 2022.
“It is difficult to leave the place that we have called home for so many years, but that is life. We hope to keep in touch and visit each other once Jose and Mary return to Kerala,” he added.
melissa@gdnmedia.bh
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