Indian Social Club chairman awarded for 30 years of service to community
MUSCAT: Dr. Sathish Nambiar received an award for 30 years of service to the Indian Social Club, though to him, helping the Indian community in Oman is reward enough.
Dr. Nambiar, who joined the Indian Social Club in 1984, and currently serves as chairman, has contributed to the lives of the Indian diaspora for some 33 years, and was conferred an award at the ISC Malayalam Wing’s Oman celebrations on Thursday evening.
“The Indian Social Club was formed with the idea of providing a cultural, mental, physical and educational source of entertainment to the Indian diaspora in Oman,” he said, speaking to Times of Oman.
“Looking back, I think we’ve done pretty well in enriching the lives of the Indian community in Oman.
“I want to thank the government of His Majesty the Sultan and our Omani hosts for having us here in this country, and I look forward to continued friendship with them,” added Nambiar.
“All the Indians who are living in Oman are extremely lucky to be living in one of the best and most beautiful countries in the world, and we need to work towards building a better society here.”
The Indian Social Club has also been aiding Indians in Oman who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances, and Nambiar was quick to thank those who stepped forward to help Indians in need.
“Sometimes, due to circumstances outside their control, there are members of the Indian community in Oman who may be involved in an accident and need to pay hospital bills, for example,” he said.
“If they cannot afford to pay these bills, someone has to, and this is where we come in to try and help them as best as we can.
“On other occasions, there may be those who are stranded here, and do not have the money to go back home,” noted Nambiar, who petitioned the Ministry of Social Development to open the ISC’s charity wing in 1994.
Requests for help
“There are more than 750,000 Indians in Oman, and around 20 wings in the Indian Social Club, so we receive plenty of requests for help, but we operate in a very limited capacity to the best of our abilities, because there are other charities in Oman that are there to look out for the destitute. “We are fortunate to have been blessed with so much, so it is only fair that we give whatever we can, even if it is just a little bit, to those who are not as lucky as us,” he added.