IPOH, Nov 23 — The last time Singapore-based factory worker R. Tanabalan saw his family in Sungai Siput was in March before the borders were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With Deepavali, Tanabalan felt it was a good time to surprise them by coming back from the island republic.
Instead of showing up dressed in normal clothes, the 27-year-old decided to wear a Mickey Mouse costume bearing a bouquet of flowers for his mother.
Tanabalan said his mother had called him two days before Deepavali and asked if he could come back for the festivities.
“But I lied to her that I could not come back as I was busy at work.”
“At that time, I was actually in Johor Baru undergoing quarantine,” he told Malay Mail, adding that prior to the lockdown, he would return to Perak every three months.
Upon completion of his quarantine on November 11, Tanabalan applied for a police permit to return to his hometown.
“With the help of a friend who owns an event management company, I reached my home wearing the costume and bearing flowers.”
“Initially my mother was shocked when she saw me in costume and asked why she was receiving flowers when there was no special occasion but my friend helped me to play along where he said mothers need not have special reasons to receive flowers.”
Before removing the costume, Tanabalan said he played a voice note where he asked his parents to take care of themselves.
“When my mother cried after listening to the clip, I could not bear it anymore and decided to just reveal myself.”
A video of Tanabalan wearing the Mickey Mouse costume that was posted on his Facebook had since gone viral.
Tanabalan, who will be returning to Singapore on Wednesday, said he did not expect the video to go viral.
“I just posted it to share with my friends,” he said.
