Humanity: The greatest celebration
– Ms Nirmala Nair, Alappuzha
“May no one feel forgotten in their suffering“
This Eid… my heart is with Hamsa. It was during a home care visit with Alpha Palliative Care Mathilakam Centre that I met him. Dr. Jose, Sister Sheeja, and the rest of our team stood beside a man whose fragile body was battling the final stages of illness.
A feeding tube had already taken away the simple joy of eating. But in his eyes, there was still one small wish… a wish that quietly shattered all our hearts.
Hamsa ikka softly told Dr. Jose, “Doctor… can you give me some medicine so that I can at least chew a little biriyani? I know I cannot swallow… but during Eid, my whole family will sit together and eat biriyani. They feel pain eating it without giving me even a small piece… I also want to feel that happiness once more…”
For many of us, biriyani is just food. For Hamsa, it was love… family… belonging… one last Eid at the table with the people he loves.
Even while standing so close to death, his pain was not about himself. It was about the tears hidden inside his family’s hearts.
There was silence in the room. Dr. Jose and Sister Sheeja could hardly hold back their emotions.
Then Hamsa looked again at the doctor and said something even more heartbreaking:
“Doctor… please give me an age proof certificate. I am 62. Before I die, I want to receive at least one pension…”
That sentence still echoes inside me.
A man who spent his life struggling…
A father who carried responsibilities silently…
Now counting his remaining days, yet hoping for a final l moment of dignity before leaving this world.
On Eid and other festive occasions,, while we serve food onto full plates and hear laughter fill our homes, let us remember people like Hamsa — those who fight pain silently, longing not for riches, but for one mouthful of joy… a single moment of togetherness… a touch of dignity before goodbye.
Tonight, I pray with all my heart:
May Hamsa’s wish be fulfilled.
May no one feel forgotten in their suffering.
And may Eid remind us that humanity is the greatest celebration. Eid Mubarak.
About the Author:
Nirmala Nair is a volunteer and one of the office bearers at Alpha Palliative Care Kuttanad Link Centre, Alappuza. A retired teacher from Mumbai, she has now dedicated her life to making Palliative Care accessible to people living in her native village in Kerala.