Who was Jaleel Ramanthaly? UAE-based Indian writer laid to rest in Kerala after death

UAE-based journalist and literary giant, Jaleel Ramanthaly recently passed away in his home state of Kerala on Monday at the age of 70. The news of his death garnered immense tribute from the Indian expat community from Kerala, among whom he was a well-respected member.Born as Erayath Jaleel, the veteran writer was prominently known by his pen name Jaleel Ramanthaly. According to numerous media reports, he was rushed to the hospital at 2 am on Monday after he complained of chest pain, however, his life could not be saved. Jaleel had retired as the Abu Dhabi bureau chief of a prominent Malayalam newspaper and authored more than a dozen books throughout his career. He also regularly contributed to numerous Malayali publications in the UAE and Kerala and even contributed to TV serials, documentaries, music albums, including the award-winning telefilm 'Dooram'. His most celebrated piece of work included a book on the UAE's Founding Father, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, titled 'Sheikh Zayed' and written in Malayali. The book was widely regarded as the first book in an Indian language on the leader and about five editions of it were printed and distributed for free to Malayali readers across countries. His latest book 'Pravasa Thudippukal' (Pulses of Expat Life) was recently released in January 2026.

He was also one of the founding leaders of Indian Media Abu Dhabi (IMA), a group of journalists in Abu Dhabi. Jaleel had begun his career as a local stringer while working for a private company and later switched careers to pursue journalism and literature, eventually becoming the Abu Dhabi bureau chief of Middle East Chandrika, shared Jaleel Pattambi, a former journalist colleague of the late writer with Gulf News. He had been honoured with numerous awards for his literary and reporting work such as the Sahrudaya-Azhekode Award for Comprehensive Contribution, the Chiranthana Samskara Vedi Award and more. His column Gulf Sketches, was later combined into a book and remains as one of the best records of early Malayali life in the Gulf."He had won several awards and recognitions for his contributions. We are holding a condolence meeting to pay tributes to him, and one of our representatives will attend his funeral back home," said Sameer Kallara, President of the Indian Media Abu Dhabi group to the outlet. He is survived by his wife, Raheema, and their children Samina, Amina and Salva.