A heartbroken Indian pensioner has spent his life savings on a statue of his pet dog.
Muthu Kumar, 82, from southern Tamil Nadu state, was deeply attached to the animal, a chocolate Labrador named Tom.
For the last two months of its life, the dog was immobile. Mr Kumar stayed by its side throughout, until its death, of old age, in January last year.
“He took care of him throughout his life. He treated him like a son and not a dog. He never served him food on plate but always fed him,” his son Manoj, 34, told The National.
“He wanted to show his love for Tom and to tell the next generations of our clan about his affection for Tom and Tom’s loyalty towards the family. He wanted Tom to be remembered for the next 100 years.”
As the first anniversary of its death neared, Mr Kumar decided on the tribute to his best friend of 11 years.
Manoj said that from the day they bought Tom, when he was 45 days old, the two were inseparable.
Mr Kumar, who lives in Sivaganga, developed a deep bond with his pet.
Although living with his wife and sons, he was lonely. He had retired from his job with the government, and his sons seemed busy with study or work.
In January, he paid a sculptor 150,000 rupees ($2,000) to build the marble statue, complete with a canopy, on the family farm in Manamadurai.
Twice a week, Mr Kumar travels 18 kilometres by bus to visit Tom’s temple, carrying the creature’s favourite treats of kibble and eggs. On special occasions, the family takes him there by car.
He has also hired a caretaker to “look after” the shrine and “offer him meals” every day.
“We were surprised when he told us about the statue. We told him he was wasting money that he could have given to a needy person, but he wanted to do something special for Tom,” Manoj said.
“He did not take any help from us and spent his savings. Even now, he is old but visits Tom’s temple in the morning at least twice a week. He takes a garland and offers him eggs.”
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Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
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- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
