With a broad smile on his face, Indian volunteer Basheer Chekku receives and helps pilgrims arriving at the train station in Mina on way to Arafat. Dressed in a phosphorus vest decorated with the Indian flag, Chekku, along with many other native and foreign volunteers, stand for hours at the station’s platforms offering their services free of charge to women and men, young and old from all over the globe who have come to the Kingdom to perform Haj.

While millions of pilgrims are seeking God’s forgiveness and blessings while performing Haj, Chekku and his fellow volunteers are seeking the same in their own way.

“I only seek to please Allah. This kind of work brings me peace of mind and satisfies my soul,” he told Arab News, as he helped an elderly female pilgrim board the train heading for Arafat.

Chekku is one of dozens of people who have been serving pilgrims during Haj for the past decade.

Chekku, who came to the Kingdom 21 years ago, works as a clerk at an Indian school. For the past 10 years, he has been volunteering as part of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC) group, which helps pilgrims of all ages and nationalities perform Haj rituals as smoothly as possible.

Some 10 groups, each comprising more than 1,000 members from the Indian community, stepped forward offering their services free of charge to elderly pilgrims not only from their community but also anyone in need of them. “I am so grateful to the Almighty that he blessed me with the opportunity of working in this holy land. I have performed Haj before and I believe that I can still serve Allah and Islam, not only by performing Haj, but also by assisting others who need assistance,” the father of two explained to Arab News.

Whoever is financially capable of performing Haj can apply, explains one Indian pilgrim who was on board the train. He added that every year more than 300,000 citizens apply for Haj. This year, only 136,000 of them could make it.

Most of the Indian pilgrims are elderly, because Muslims in India go on pilgrimage only after getting their end of service benefits on retirement at 60.