Flood of tears as mother, son meet
sharjah — She drenched him with tears of happiness, sobbing as she held him tight, like she feared to let him go. Through her veil, wails rent the air as mother and son embraced on Friday morning at the Sharjah International Airport.
Indian national Noorjahan was meeting her son, Hani Nader Mergani Ali after 17 years. His Sudanese father had taken him to his home country when he was just four years old. “I can’t believe that I got my child back. It’s been a long time. But I am scared I will lose him again,” said Noorjahan as mother and son wept with joy. She touched his face with affection, kissed him, hugged him again as his sister Shameera and others witnessed the meeting moist-eyed.
Talha Shah, a Pakistani businessman who made the moment possible, was also present. After reading our report about Hani’s reunion with his sister in Dubai last month, Shah came forward to offer a flight ticket for the mother to visit her son.
Shah greeted Noorjahan with flowers and a cake. “Please pray for my mother in Islamabad,” Shah told Noorjahan after exchanging pleasantries.
anuwarrier@khaleejtimes.com
sharjah — As Noorjahan walked out of the airport in timid steps, Hani was unsure of how to welcome his mother. For a moment, he looked at her veiled face. Then hugged her tight.
It was one of those rare emotional moments — a mother meeting her lost son after 17 years.
At the Sharjah International Airport, Sudanese national Hani Nader Mergani Ali got his Indian mother back. Estranged from his mother while he was just four, Hani had been waiting for this moment since then.
Both the mother and son let their tears flow. She touched his face with affection, kissed him, hugged him again and drenched him with tears of happiness. His sister Shameera, friends and natives of their village, Narikkuni in Kozhikode district of Kerala, witnessed the reunion.
Talha Shah, the Pakistani businessman, who made the moment possible, was also present. After reading the Khaleej Times report about the earlier reunion of Hani and his sister in Dubai, Shah came forward to offer Dubai flight ticket for his mother . Shah greeted Noorjahan with flowers and a cake. “Happy to see you here. I hope you will enjoy your stay in the UAE with your son. And please pray for my mother who lives in Islamabad,” Shah told Noorjahan after exchanging formal pleasantries.
“I will be there tomorrow to receive Hani’s mother. I want to see the emotions in their eyes when they meet after all these years,” Shah told Khaleej Times on Thursday.
After the first few minutes of tears, the mother-son duo held hands tight as if never wanting to part again.
“I can’t believe that I got my child back. It’s been a long time. But, I am scared I will lose my boy again,” said Noorjahan. She fought her tears as she narrated how years passed without any news about him.
The flashback
Hani was taken by his Sudanese father to his country when the boy was four years old. His father, who went to Kerala for his studies, married Noorjahan there and left her after Hani was born.
All these years, Hani wanted to meet his mother and three sisters as he was ill-treated by his father and stepmother. He contacted a Keralite in Sudan and through him, posted details that he remembered, on social media. The news reached Shameera who then made arrangements to bring Hani to Dubai.
The reunion of the siblings was reported by Khaleej Times and various readers offered to find a job for Hani. He joined a typing centre in Sharjah, still eager to meet his mother. It was at this time, Shah offered a flight ticket to Noorjahan for visiting Hani in Dubai. The UAE residents from their village arranged a visit visa. Noorjahan, who never had a passport, got it in four days.
When asked what’s next for them, the mother said: “I want to be with my son. Once his papers are ready, Hani will come to Kerala. His two sisters are eagerly waiting to see their long-lost little brother.”
anuwarrier@khaleejtimes.com
I want to be with my son. Once his papers are ready, Hani will come to Kerala. His two sisters are eagerly waiting to see their long-lost little brother.” Noorjahan, mother of Hani
Happy to see you here. I hope you will enjoy your stay in the UAE with your son. And please pray for my mother who lives in Islamabad,” Talha Shah, businessman