The way this man says ‘Thank you, Bahrain’ is unique
NOB | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Thank you, Bahrain. These words spring out of the hearts and minds of every man and woman here as they look back at their own life in Bahrain a few years down the road.
However, some people won’t just end it there and go that extra mile to pour their hearts out, just like this man from the South Indian state of Kerala. TT Thomas, a steel fabricator here in the Kingdom for the last 30 years, is paying his gratitude to the Kingdom, back there in his home away from Bahrain in a unique way.
In Kerala, he is building his dream home in extraordinary shapes and dressed up in the colours of Bahrain. We call it unique, as it is not an ordinary home. And it doesn’t even look like a home that we see around here or there.
Powering up the wonder-house, in its entirety, is solar energy. The house has three bedrooms, four washrooms, one hall and a kitchen. Entry to the house is through the train.
Thomas plans to complete the construction within six months. Betty, the wife of Thomas, a nurse here in Bahrain, and his elder son Jimmy, came back to Kingdom after laying the foundation stone. Younger son is pursuing his studies in Kerala.
The catch, however, is that they are still in the dark about the things taking shape in their native. All they had seen are a few pictures of the work, clicked in its earlier stages.
They will experience the magic only when Thomas finishes the home, where one could hop into a plane, a train or a ship, just as one feels like doing it. Thomas plans to spend his retirement days here. For making it happen, Thomas says, “Thank you, Bahrain.”
Bahrain gave me all that I have
Helping him build that home of steel, without wood or bricks, and less cement, are also his friends and colleagues here from Bahrain.
Sophi, hailing from Bangladesh, had flown in from Bahrain to India to help Thomas create the steel structure of his house. The rest of the works are also getting finished with the help of friends and family.
When the question of the unique design and Bahraini flag cropped up again, Thomas emotionally told a local newspaper, “Bahrain made me what I am today. Bahrain gave me all that I have today.” “I can’t forget that, ever.” Quite interestingly, the aeroplane extension of the house wears the Bahrain flag paint scheme on it.
Solar power
The 2,200 square feet steel house of Thomas is also eco-friendly - lessons learned from Bahrain, which is well on its way to achieving renewable energy targets of 5% of total power generation by 2025 and 10 % by 2035.
Local and national media were quick to feature the unique home, with Thomas also gaining some popularity. Several people also asked Thomas about the Bahrain flag on his creation.
To them all, he told about his love for Bahrain- his home away from home. Thomas said that his home back home drew inspirations from his works here in the Kingdom.
But that is no big deal for Thomas, who here in Bahrain, by profession, is a steel structure fabricator.
Is it a train? Is it a ship? Is it a plane?
The house resembles a train, a ship and an aeroplane, or all three in unison. When asked what inspired him to such a creation, Thomas described it to a local daily as his dedication to the three means of transport he had used in his life. However, not everything was good in this dream journey as it seems now.
“Till now, I was at the receiving end for grooming this strange-looking idea,” Thomas says. Now, when the house has had its shape, those who threw stones at me earlier are watching with awe. The house had spiked up so much interest in its unique theme that it is now a local attraction for the people in Mallappally, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
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