Airlift’s Real Hero No More – RIP Mathunny Mathews

Indian businessman Mathunny Mathews of Kuwait is no more. Known as the person who made possible the largest civilian evacuation of stranded Indians during the Iraqi invasion in 1990, he passed away in Kuwait. He was the main inspiration behind the 2016 Bollywood movie Airlift.

He was ailing for some time and passed away at the age of 81. The real life hero had reached Kuwait by sea in 1956 at the age of 20 when the middle-east was wrecked by the Suez Canal crisis. He joined as a typist in the Toyota company and retired as its Managing Director in 1989. He then started a car rental firm and a trading company and was also the Chairman of Jabriya Indian school.

He risked his life and property to bring back 1.50 lakh Indians safely by flights. He left everything in war and provided people with food, water and shelter. He was known as “Toyota sunny” as he worked his way up at the leading automobile dealer Al-Sayer.

The airlift began in the first week of September and lasted for 59 days. Mathew was among the last to leave. He will be airlifted to India for one last time, for the funeral rites to be held in his native place Eraviperoor.