It’s more than three decades but the untiring philanthropist will carry on doing what has put smiles on hundreds of helpless, hapless faces until his last breath. P.M. Jabir needs no introduction. A household name among the Indian community in Oman, he is a champion fighting for the welfare of the expatriate community in distress, particularly for Indians in Oman.

Since 1982 Jabir has been helping Indian expatriates, more so blue collars.

“This is my life calling, to help the poor. I will do this until my last breath. The love and support I receive from the people I help is what motivates me.”

His phone never stops ringing as he gets close to 50 calls a day from those seeking unpaid wages, financial help for medical expenses or even to send a body back home. “I need to carry a charger or a power bank all the time as my phone never stops ringing. People from all over the country who are in need of help call me,” Jabir says.

According to Jabir, the COVID-19 pandemic has put many, especially the blue-collar workers, in distress. “In the last seven months I have seen people suffering more than what I saw in the last three decades here. To a greater extent we could help them,” he adds.

Jabir’s network is spread across the country. “These are volunteers who are residing across Oman and if I get a call from a remote area I immediately connect with my volunteer there who is ready to help.”

It all started with the erstwhile Kairali Arts Club way back in 1988. “Through the club our primary task was to help the people in distress and unlike today those times were challenging because it was not the mobile phone era,” he recalls.

Fondly called as Jabir ikka (big brother), the people’s champion has a bagful of heart-rending anecdotes. Jabir’s help was sought when the Indian embassy was faced with the problem of unclaimed bodies of workers in the 80s.

“In the 80s we had a problem sending bodies home and we took up the issue. Now, Air India takes bodies without any charge and that is a big achievement,” he says. He has helped send more than 3,000 bodies to India so far, he adds.

In this social media age Jabir gets more messages than ever before. “You get to meet a lot of people with different issues. During this pandemic crisis, we have helped send back hundreds of Indians and most of it came through social media requests,” he says.

“I am always indebted to my wife Shahanaz and my two daughters for supporting me when I give so much time for social work…they have always stood by me,” adds Jabir who hails from Thellichery in Kerala. He is currently the Community Welfare Secretary of the Indian Social Club and director of Kerala.