Dubai is the ultimate commercial city. Everybody here talks about money... either about spending it, earning it or saving it. That's all anyone is interested in or wants to be. Nobody cares about your health or the crappy weather or the your crappy health because of the aforementioned crappy weather. All they care about is the size of your paycheck and how it compares to theirs, how much you can save in a month, how much you send back home (nearly everyone is an immigrant here) and other variations on the above themes.
I have answered these questions in the above forms and even in the extended bhangra and hip-hop versions so many times. And I thought Bombayiites were materialistic (do I havta take permission from Mr. Raj Thackeray to say the B-word too?)
Dubai is a cleaner, better-roaded, beggarless version of Bombay with hugely pompous-looking buildings. It's like the people here decided to do their version of 'mine's bigger than yours' with buildings. There must be some seriously under-equipped guys out here when you look at the way they're trying to overcompensate for their shortcomings (pun intended). And the funniest part is that most of these huge building still have some construction work going on that was interrupted by the recession and now have the additional baggage of a construction crane lofted atop their heads.
But its the sand which is the most interesting facet here. They've tried so hard to hide it... with loads of tubes running parallely to each other on the sidewalks (which have got to be the most unused sidewalks in the world!!!) These tubes irrigate the sand and half-hearted little clumps of grass and forcibly-flowering shrubs grow there. But there is a thin coating of sand over every part of the city and the visibility is so poor that you can't even see buildings that are just a road away. It's like a mist of nature reminding all us immigrants, "Remember you're in a desert, stay in your little A/C malls and cars and houses all day but I'll always be around you... waiting... till its my time..."
It's very hard for me to miss Bombay when the lit up roads and the ease of getting things of your doorstep and the Hindi-speaking cabbies exemplify Bombay for me everyday. I just think that my friends and family are just a holiday and will catch up with me soon...
Wonder what will it take for the realisation to hit me... more importantly, will I be left standing after the sudden impact? Labels: life, thoughts |
Hello! Or shall I say Salaam Alaikum! You’re in my mum’s hometown, so watch every word you pen down. Kidding!!! But hey! The place is good when you’ve got family there. One sneeze and the entire jing bang will land up to pamper you. Give it time and you’ll get your share of royal treatment. Then we’ll call you "Sheikha Ipshita" :-) Keep your glow on.