OmanPride: 'Omanis are kind and generous'

 Across the world, Omanis have developed a reputation for being kind and helpful to those in need. Charity, however, they say begins at home, and many residents living in the Sultanate of Oman have come forward to tell us of the selfless deeds of Omanis in their time of greatest need.

“It was early days for us in Oman, and my husband had left his laptop bag with a laptop and our passports at the Ruwi bus station,” recalled Ishrat Maliha. “By the time he remembered he’d left it behind, two hours had already passed, but he rushed to Ruwi from Seeb, and he saw an Omani taxi driver sitting on the bench with a bag by his side. He told my husband ‘I saw you leaving the bag and was waiting so that you could come back and take this,’ How incredible was that?” 

Minazur Rahman had another poignant memory to share with Times of Oman.

“We experienced a minor accident in Quriyat while on the way to Sur from Muscat at 1am,” he recalled. “Immediately, six to seven Omanis came forward and rescued us. This is a very natural behaviour of Omanis, and I was surprised when I saw two young Omanis escorting us until we reached home. I thanked them and told them there was no need to come with us, but as my daughter was crying, and my wife was distressed, they selflessly followed us for nearly 100 kilometres (km).” “There might have been a language barrier, but I could feel their kindness and caring attitude,” added Rahman. “Just before we said goodbye, they offered us a place to stay in their house overnight, so that we’d feel comfortable and my daughter would not cry. How large hearted they were, it was a really great experience for us.”

Omanis voluntarily helping those who are stranded was a common thread in many residents’ fond recalls.

“We’d visited the Wahiba Sands, which is 250km away from Muscat, but on the way back, our SUV had gotten stuck in the sand,” revealed Surendranath Sharma, an Indian expat. “There was no one around, but luckily, we saw a tourist vehicle approaching us. The driver was German but he couldn’t help because he wasn’t an expert, but he volunteered to look for help.”

“In another 10 minutes, we saw two Toyota SUVs coming towards us, and they had freed our vehicle within a few minutes,” he added. Throughout the rescue, they had smiles on their faces, and when we offered them Omani rials as thanks, they refused the money and said ‘just be happy and help others when you get the chance to do so.’ The kindness extended by them has touched us.”

But one of the most touching example of Omanis’ selfless acts of kindness was narrated by Geetika Dahiya.

“I was in Salalah and my two-year-old daughter was suffering from severe dehydration,” she said. “One afternoon, her health deteriorated, and I hurriedly called my husband for help. I decided not to wait for my husband as his office was far away, and I was standing with my daughter and waiting for a taxi.”

“A taxi soon appeared and asked us where we wanted to go, and he dropped me off at the hospital and even helped me get inside, without accepting the taxi fare I offered him,” added Dahiya. “Because of him, my daughter received life-saving treatment. I was choking with emotions due to his selflessness and I have no words to explain his generosity. This really is a very special experience which will remain in our hearts.”
Source: Timesofoman