'The morsel did not come down under the neck, I fluttered after hearing the explosion': Abu Dhabi's BAPS temple comes to the rescue of Gujarati couple trapped in the middle of the war, tension relieved in 2 hours

What if you have been planning to sail across the seven seas for months and your enthusiasm and excitement turn into a life-threatening and financial crisis? Something similar happened to Ahmedabad couple Kamleshbhai Barber and Geetaben. He went to Dubai to visit excitedly, but when he was about to return to India, the Dubai airport was closed due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Trapped in a dire situation, the couple had neither money nor food to live in. On the other hand, hotel rents went up and the travel agency raised its hands. Trapped amidst the sounds of hunger, thirst and blasts, this Gujarati family came to the support of Abu Dhabi's BAPS temple and Brahmavihari Swami. Read how a couple returned to Ahmedabad safely with the help of humanity and the organization in a foreign country. Planned 6 months ago Kamleshbhai and his wife decided to go abroad 6 months ago. After a long discussion, he chose to go to Dubai. After which I checked 2-3 places about the package in Dubai. During this time, he came to know that Raj Travels has a good package, so he booked the package there. Another 30 people were assisted in Dubai The couple had left Ahmedabad for Dubai on February 23 for a week-long trip. When he left, the husband and wife were alone. They reached Dubai around evening. When the couple arrived at the hotel in Meena Bazaar from Dubai airport, they were accompanied by 30 other people. Here everyone was taken from the cruise to the site scene at night. Help came from the place where I visited on the last day On the last day of the trip, everyone went to the BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi and had darshan there. So far, everything had been good and pleasant, but the real trouble was about to begin. The car was stopped and the airport was closed. Kamleshbhai told Divya Bhaskar, "When we reached the airport from the hotel to return to India, the joy and excitement of the days spent in Dubai so far turned into anxiety. Because our car was stopped at the airport and we were told that there was war here, so the airport was closed. The couple went back to the hotel With the airport closed, the couple was left confused as to what to do next. He said that at such a time, the thought started coming that on the one hand there is a war-like situation. On the other hand, there is not even that much money. Where to go like this? Where will we stay if we get down in the middle of here? How do we get back to the hotel where we stayed? So we told the driver of the car to drop us back at the same hotel. Rs 125 for a bottle of water When Kamleshbhai and Geetaben reached back at the hotel, the hotel had also increased the rent. "When we reached the hotel and talked, the hotel owner increased the rent. The hotel staff used to give only 2 bottles of water during the day. On the other hand, Raj Tour also said that your trip is over here and the money for the flight ticket will be returned to you when you return. Otherwise, stay and eat wherever you find it cheap. In such a situation, they were running out of money. The rest of the group arranged for them to book hotels for 2 days. However, he also told them to arrange for the rest of the day. There was no hope of coming back to India Kamleshbhai said, "At such a time, I spoke to one of our distant relatives and asked him for help. I told them that I would return the money when I return to India, so they arranged for the remaining 2-3 days. In doing so, all four of our days somehow passed, but there was still no hope of when we would return to India. There was a constant worry in my mind about how to extend my hand to someone the next time. Not a morsel of water came down our throats and we didn't like to drink water because we didn't have any money left in Dubai. Only five thousand Indian rupees were left. Explosions were heard in the morning and evening Talking about his experiences during the Dubai tour and the real situation there, Kamleshbhai said, "We used to hear explosions every morning and evening. As soon as we heard the sound of the explosion, we were tense. What will happen if a missile falls on us? That was the thought. 'At night, I would get a message on my phone, so I would come out of the hotel room and ask what the messages were for. At that time, the staff there used to say that given the situation here, instructions are being given to get out of whichever house you are in and move away from there. So that they can be safe in case of any attack." In this difficult time, the BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi came to their aid. Kamleshbhai told me in detail how he came in contact with the temple and what help he got from there. Rishiraj Swami of Ahmedabad consoled He said, "We got the news that the BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi is helping people stranded in Dubai but I did not have the temple number, so I told my cousin to go to the Shahibaug BAPS temple. My brother reached the Shahibaug temple and told Rishiraj Swami about my hotel card and the situation. Rishiraj Swami consoled Kamleshbhai's brother and said that he would convey his details to Brahmavihari Swami. He is currently in Abu Dhabi. Within 2 hours, I got a call from Brahmavihari Swami. In this regard, Kamleshbhai says, "As soon as my details were delivered, within 2 hours of this, I got a call from Brahmavihari Swami. The swami said that you need not worry at all. I'm telling the Hari devotees here. He will come to pick you up and all your arrangements will be arranged. Shortly after the conversation with Brahmavihari Swami, a devotee of Hari reached the hotel with a car to pick up Kamleshbhai and his wife and provided them with accommodation and food in a good house. This brought relief to the couple. Ticket to Ahmedabad He says that Haribhakt took very good care of our food for 3 days continuously from food to accommodation and medicines. At the end of the third day, we were told that we had booked your tickets too. We were very happy to hear this. The devotees dropped him off at the airport When Kamleshbhai and his wife were returning to India, 2 Hari devotees came to pick them up in a car and dropped them at the airport. Recalling this, he says, "The devotees also brought food for us. When we were dropped off at the airport and we were going inside, the devotees instinctively told us that they were standing outside. We will leave only after all your processes are completed. We went to the airport and after completing all our processes, we informed the devotees and also sent them our photos. As soon as he said this, Kamleshbhai was overwhelmed. He was silent for a few moments and said, "What would have happened to us if these people had not come to our aid?" We arrived safely at Ahmedabad airport from Dubai. The daughter and son-in-law came to pick us up. As soon as I came out, I told him to take our photo first and send it to Swami that we had reached peacefully. The couple can never forget the help given by the BAPS temple. He said that where there were no relatives, an organization like BAPS not only helped us but also made us the most expensive ticket to come back here. For us, they were like gods. Some organizations used to ask for help there but they did not provide any such facility, but these people really helped us well. After talking to Kamleshbhai, Divya Bhasker asked his wife Geetaben about her experience. "When the airport was closed, my blood pressure and diabetes became high, my body became weak and I started feeling dizzy," she said. We spent nights crying: Geetaben "We had to stay there for an extra five days except for the tour. In the meantime, I had a cold and a fever. We requested the hotel to give us an extra blanket. He gave me a blanket but increased the hotel rent. I was crying all the time, which was affecting my body as well. Our heartbeats quickened at the sound of the explosion. I couldn't sleep in the afternoon or at night. We cried all night.' I sighed when I came back "When we got our tickets booked to come back and we came back, we were relieved," Geetaben added.