More than 5,000 laborers squealed with surprise this week as they lined up to receive their Ramadan care packages from non-profit aid organization Adopt-a-Camp.
That’s because the man standing in the cargo area of the pickup truck handing out the boxes wasn’t just a volunteer - he’s also a Bollywood superstar. Stepping away from the limelight, B-town hunk Arjun Rampal put a smile on the faces of workers at a camp in Dubai Investment Park. Dressed in a blue Adopt-a-Camp volunteer T-shirt and faded jeans, it was clear the actor was enjoying himself as he passed out box after box to cheering workers.
With eyes twinkling and a big smile on his face, Rampal said: “Ramadan Kareem, and Eid Mubarak in advance” with each handover. The ‘D-Day’ actor told 7DAYS: “I’m very happy I came here. These are the people who have made Dubai. So I’m here to thank them.”
His message to the workers was met with thundering applause. Rampal told the men: “I just want to say to everybody that the way Dubai looks today is all your hard work, and you should look at it like an artist and always be proud of what you’ve created.”
The Indian model-turned-actor feels blessed by his success and says it his duty to give back.
“We all need help at some point or another,” he said. “And on days when we are more fortunate than others, it is our duty to look out for those who need a hand.”
He added: “Ramadan isn’t an easy time to be working here in this unbearable heat. So it’s especially nice to come here and put a smile on their faces, and give them some things that will be useful to them.”
The care packages include toiletries, energy food and other basic items, such as bedding, clothes, plates, mugs and other essentials. Rampal spent more than two hours distributing packages, meeting the workers and posing for photos. Among the workers was Kokvil Mathur, 25, from Jharkand in India, who said as he clutched his parcel: “Arjun came, that was enough, but then he also gave us this gift.”
And Imran Nazir, 31, from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, added: “I wanted to tell him so many things when I saw him, but the moment he said hello and shook my hand, I forgot everything. I hope he comes again someday.”
Meanwhile, the founder of Adopt-a-Camp and the organizer of the initiative, Saher Shaikh, told 7DAYS: “Arjun was so touched by the experience. He’s told me he would like to come back every year to do this again.”
