Distance does not matter in friendship; a man from Kerala demonstrated this by searching for his friend in Saudi Arabia to repay Rs 1,000 that he borrowed in 1991. Ismail, the individual in question, lacked any contact information for his former colleague Edla Lachanna, including an address or phone number. Despite the challenges, he made it his mission to locate his friend.
How Did The Two Meet?
Ismail and Lachanna met in 1991 while working in Abai, Saudi Arabia. They shared a room with three other expatriate workers and stayed together for five years. The two others had a strong bond over the years. During that time, Ismail borrowed 120 Saudi riyals from Lachanna, which was almost Rs 1,000 at the time. He promised Lachanna to return the money whenever he could.
After some time, Lachanna returned to India. During those days, there were no social media or mobile phones; the two eventually lost touch. Ismail decided to find his friend and return his money.
How He Traced His Friend
Ismail did not even have Lachanna's phone number, address, or details. From the faded memories, he just remembered a place named Dharampuri, which was probably Lachanna's hometown.
Ismail made multiple searches on social media to trace the place. Finally, he found it and decided to visit it. Upon asking local people for help, he finally found his friend's house.
After reconnecting with Lachanna, Ismail handed over Rs 25,000 to his family. At the time, Lachanna was working in the Gulf. The two spoke in a WhatsApp video call.
Lachanna was surprised to find out that Ismail had repaid him a sum of Rs 25,000 for a loan of just 120 Saudi riyals that he had lent him decades ago. Calling Ismail an honest and good-hearted man, he said the gesture reflected the strength of their friendship and thanked him for keeping his promise after all these years.
What Did Lachanna Say?
Lachanna said, "Both of us lived in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. In the evenings, we would go to his room, cook food, and eat together. That is how our friendship grew. Later, I gave him 120 riyals, the Saudi Arabian currency. It has been almost 35 years since I lent him that money. I do not know how he calculated Rs 25,000 for those 120 riyals. He is a very honest and good man. That is why he gave me more money. It is simply a reflection of our friendship, " NDTV reported.
He added, "I do not know whether he included interest in the amount. At that time, 120 riyals was equal to about Rs 1,000. If we sent 120 Riyals through a briyals 1991, we would receive around Rs 1,000 in India. Since many years have passed, I think he may have added interest before repaying me, but I am not sure. I am thankful to him for returning the money."