They work so you can celebrate
UNSUNG HEROES PROVIDE ROUND-THE-CLOCK ESSENTIAL SERVICES SO THAT RESIDENTS CAN ENJOY THE EID HOLIDAYS WITHOUT A GLITCH
Unsung heroes provide round-the-clock services so that residents can enjoy Eid holidays
As everybody around them is steeped in Eid Al Fitr celebrations, for these untiring workers it is business as usual. Providing round-the-clock essential services, these individuals play a big role in keeping the city ticking.
From immigration officials dealing with the holiday rush at airports, to the police, civil defence, and the fourth estate, to workers at shopping malls, supermarkets and cleaners, gardeners, delivery boys, nurses and doctors, there is an entire section of society that works on holidays so that residents and tourists alike can enjoy the holiday season without a glitch.
Gulf News highlights the dedication and spirit of service of some of these unsung heroes.
Mohammad Rafeeque Supermarket delivery boy
He wakes up at 6am and works till 6pm during the Eid holidays. “During Eid, our schedule gets a lot busier as people throw parties at home and we get all kinds of demands such as for snacks, ice cream, ice cubes, milk, yoghurt, etc. I make at least 12-15 deliveries on my motorcycle during the day,” said Rafeeque, who has been working as a delivery boy for the last six years.
This year, he worked on both days on Eid. He will add these days to his annual leave to visit his family back in Wayanad in Kerala, India. “I cannot say no to working on Eid holidays as I know it is important to our business. Besides, I got to have an Eid lunch with my friends on Sunday during my one-hour lunch break and was able to enjoy the festive spirit,” he said.
Abdiel Makalino Yambot Petrol station attendant
“I do not mind working over Eid holidays as it means getting extra cash for overtime,” said Yambot, who works from 7am to 3pm during the Eid holidays. “I feel my Muslim colleagues deserve to take a break.”
Though the heat makes people irritable, Yambot offers his services with a smile. “I extend Eid greetings [to motorists] and smile as I fill up their fuel tanks. Many people smile back and say ‘thank you’. That makes my day.” he said. The eldest of six siblings, he supports his family and his mother in Bulacan in the Philippines.
Dr Zeeshan Khan Specialist, Internal Medicine and Intensivist
Dr Zeeshan Khan should be home with his anaesthesiologist wife, two infant children and parents, as his younger brother is visiting from the UK. Instead, he chose to do the 10am-6pm shift on the second day of Eid. “I took leave on the first day of Eid and enjoyed the special Eid lunch with the family, but being a doctor, I feel it is not right on my part to be at home when my patients need me.”
Dr Khan, who works at the Intensive Care Unit of the Medeor 24/7 Hospital, feels that while hospitals are less busy during holidays, there is always the odd emergency cropping up. “We often get severely diabetic patients, patients with pneumonia and other respiratory complications, and heart patients. I do not want to be anywhere where my response time to such emergencies is beyond an hour. So I choose to be at work,” said Dr Khan, who hails from Rampur, India.
He has been choosing to work on the Eid holidays for the last two years.
Natisha Pankhiyo Massage therapist
“We have more massage bookings during Eid than on normal days due to the holiday rush,” said Pankhiyo, 37, mother of two teenage children who is from Bangkok, Thailand.
Pankhiyo who works from noon to 10pm has had a packed schedule of 10 massages of one hour each. “Usually, I am booked for 6-8 massages but on festive breaks, there are more bookings. Festivals means more business,” she said.
Sree Kala VS Nurse
A superintendent in-charge of the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at Medeor 24/7, Dubai, for the last five years, Sree Kala works 48 hours a week for six days and does not mind taking on an extra 16 hours of work during the Eid holidays. “I have a 12-year-old son who along with his father has a great holiday during the Eid break. But I prioritise my professional life over the personal because my work in the NICU requires me to be hands-on with the babies who are all pre-term.
“Their mothers’ need to be instructed on how to hold them and breastfeed them as the babies are so delicate. I cannot think of taking leave during long holidays.”
When she sees the happy faces of the reassured mothers and the regular sound of the babies breathing, she said it is her “biggest reward.”
Sree Kala, who is from Chengannur district in Kerala, India, works from 7am to 3.30pm and believes she still has enough time to devote to her family.
Zarkash Humayun Butcher
For Humayun, who is from Pakistan, it is normal to work during the Eid holidays because as he puts it, “many people rely on us. So I am happy to be able to provide them with what they need over the holidays. It is important for some shops to remain open during the holidays, especially butcher shops because the Eid is a festive occasion, and many families and friends hold gatherings and food plays a big role in these get-togethers,” he said.
Mohammad Abdul Building watchman
For Abdul, Eid is like any other working day. “I am on watch duty during Eid,” he said. He gets paid extra for working during Eid and that he said makes him happy.
Given the nature of his job, Abdul, who is from Afghanistan, said it needs to be done even on holidays. “As a watchman, you have to make sure everything is in order and okay with the building. You need to be there in case a tenant needs you. So I have no problem working, because if anything happens, at least I am here and can do something about it.”
He also believes that him being on the job gives tenants peace of mind. “They know a watchman is on duty. I also have a good relationship with the tenants, so it makes it easier for me to work over the holidays,” he said.
Ghazim Ahmad Baker
“During the Eid Al Fitr holiday we get a lot of customers, so the shop stays open and I work as usual,” said Ahmad, who is from Afghanistan. “I am happy to help the people during the holidays because they come to us looking for our services.”
Working during Eid holidays was nothing new for him. “I know many people don’t like to work during the holidays, but I am happy with my work.”