True friendship transcends time and distance, as well as race and religion.

Factory worker Mohd Zulnurain Abbas, also known as Olan, and lorry driver Nagarajan Vijian, both 38, are testament to this.

A TikTok video of the men's emotional reunion at Nagarajan's birthday party in Johor recently, after being separated for 25 years, is currently going viral on social media.

It shows Olan turning up at the party dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume, and when Nagarajan is asked to remove the mascot's costume head, he immediately recognizes his old buddy and embraces Olan. Tears of joy and hugs ensue.

According to MStar, the men had been friends since they were just two-years-old in Jasin, Melaka.

Olan lived with his single mother who worked at the estate while Nagarajan lived with his grandmother who worked as a rubber tapper, in the same neighbourhood.

"We were so close. I spent time after school at his house while his grandmother babysat us till my mum finished work.

"Raja (Nagarajan) taught me Tamil. We used it all the time and I'm fluent in the language until today," the father of four told the Malay-language portal.

Olan recalled the separation as being dramatic as shown in the movies, where he chased after the taxi Nagarajan was in with his family, while the latter stuck his head out of the vehicle, screaming Olan's name.

"That was the last time I saw Raja," Olan fondly recalled.

The friends did reconnect in January this year but their plans to meet up had been dampened by the movement control order imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Olan found out that Nagarajan's birthday fell on the same day as Deepavali this year (Nov 4), he planned to surprise his long-lost friend with the "prank", with the help of the latter's wife.

"I was already shedding tears under the costume when I saw him. He still has the same look and smile," Olan said.

Such a moving story indeed. Both the men are proof that nothing can get in the way of true friendship.


Source: MStar
Photo source: The Star