A viral video featuring Jamal, a Pakistani man who is fluent in Malayalam, has been making waves on Instagram. Jamal, originally from Pakistan’s Punjab province, has been living and working in the UAE for 10 years, where he learned Malayalam from his Malayali colleagues.
RJ Sajinth Harikumar’ of Instagram uploaded a video to show the audience about Jamal being Pakistani who speaks Malayalam. He further mentions his interest in Kerala cuisine. As in the caption, “Be it what politicians of these nations say and what these idiots do here on social media, reality is this and this is how we live in actuality in the UAE.” This is the reality about unity in diversity and this little beautiful connection.
His praise towards Kerala culture is noticeable through appreciation towards regional food, namely Malabar porotta, nei roast dosa, masala dosa, besides the preference to Malayalam film; of particular films ‘Anarkali’, the lead performed by Prithviraj Sukumaran is his all-time favourite. Jamal himself never happened to visit Kerala, courtesy of “visa restrictions”.
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The video has generated excellent reactions with people admiring his soul. One user commented, “His smile is so pure. What a pity some people let the politicians divide us. The British sowed the seeds of division and the politicians watered it.” Another person said, “Language and food knows no barriers,” and a third added, “.so wonderful if this spirit of friendship was there between the two countries.”
This incident has shown deep connections between people from Kerala and the Middle East, where many Malayalis work.As reported by the Times of India in November 2023, the people of Kerala work in 182 countries, but the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar house the largest communities. Such Malayali workers have had a significant impact on local cultures, as in the case of Jamal. It’s not the first time when a foreigner learns to speak Malayalam with help from Kerala’s expat community.
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