Does caution mean a halt to lending? H
ardly does a day pass these days without customer-friendliness or flexibility in approach. a call from one of the hundreds of call A loan transaction with a specialised personal centres, the lord alone knows operating from branch of State Bank of India, the Fortune 500 where, offering a credit card, a personal loan, club public sector behemoth and the country’s biggest membership and what-not. bank in terms of balance sheet, branch network, A friend running a small business unit recently market capitalisation and profits, turned out to called up the source of such an offer - a bank- to be a memorable experience. The loan request had tell them not to waste his time any more by makan unusual condition attached to it in the sense it ing him listen to the crap. His reason: when it had to be sanctioned and disbursed within a very comes to the crunch, the bank will simply refuse short time-frame. Considering the stringent due to oblige an establishment like his, citing one of By K Raveendran diligence process for the collateral security that their several stock reasons that he has by now got the loan involved, entailing a number of stages and fed up with. He says his is a classically paradoxical verification processes, it appeared to be an impossituation: there is no money without business and you can’t sible deadline, but in the end everything was managed with do business without money. Banks follow such strange polisuch clock-like precision that the money got disbursed cies that they are always keen to lend money to businesses minutes before the appointed time. that are not desperate for it, while those that are in need All this would be an understatement unless an idea will never qualify for their support. is given here on the due diligence process that an Indian This, of course, is a new phase for our banks. Until one bank like the SBI carries out. Banks are linked through year ago, it was festival time all through. The banks were so a centralised system that allows any branch in any part of liberal with their cash that it was difficult to find a reason the country to verify the credit record of an applicant with not to lend, and little did it matter what exactly that money a click of the mouse Yet, there is an extensive process that was supposed to do. Stories of how the banks advanced seeks to independently establish credentials. When it comes millions of dirhams to fund commitments of no more than to pledging of security, authentic new documents establisha few thousands in the reckless property sector are still fresh ing ownership and other related aspects are required to be in memory. But whatever happened since then has taught issued by the local government and administrative officials them a few lessons and the current clampdown is now a with specific reference to the case, which come only after typical response. physical verification by the local authorities concerned. A This raises the pertinent issue of whether lending and similarly elaborate process is in place to establish that the caution are mutually exclusive. Are the two so non-compledged security carries no encumbrances. patible to each other that there can never be something like These clearances are then followed up with a verificacautious lending? Going by their response so far, the banks tion process by independent legal counsels, who make their here largely seem to believe in non-compatibility, a far cry endorsement after detailed examination of the documents from what they believed and practised a few months ago. and field visits. The same process is repeated for valuation Although the crisis made some of the giants bite the of the pledged security by professional valuers so that the dust, a few have survived its onslaught and stood like a rock. bank has its exposure limited to only a part of the value and Foremost among them is the Indian banking regulatory not its full extent. To cap it all, a team of the bank sets out system, which has now been recognised as probably the best to cross-check the results of all these verifications, which in the world as it stood guard on the Indian financial sysinvolve further field visits. tem, warding off some of the worst destabilising tendencies Compare this to the practice of banks here, which lent of modern global banking business. The Indian banking up to 20 times of speculators’ seed capital during the height supervision involves some of the tightest regulatory mechaof the local property bubble and had all their money vanish nisms and is the product of highly coordinated policy and into thin air. This should indeed explain how the Indian action between the government and the country’s monetary banks escaped the infamous sub-prime crisis and all that authorities. followed. Personal experience shows that even such stringent Now the climax: the deadline for the loan application in supervision and due diligence need not be at the cost of question had a time-frame of three days!
February 2010
DH 5
Published from Dubai Media City
LABOUR LAWS
The fruits of labour HEALTH
Health care chaos HABITAT
The pest way out
TRAVEL
Mesmerising India Indian Tourism Minister Kumari Selja unveils the country’s tourism plan
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2 l UAE Digest, February 2010
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Contents
22 Fun, food, fair and festivities at DSF The festival, over the years, has been redefining the nature of entertainment and shopping in the region, while at the same time raising the bar for other similar festivals
14 Health care chaos
6 The fruits of labour Lack of clarity regarding labour laws in the UAE is leaving employees and employers no choice but to take legal recourse
In an emergency episode, you would expect the A&E to take good care of you at the hospital, but this wasn’t the case when the author ended up getting mistreated at one of Dubai’s leading hospitals. Here she talks about the poor administration in hospitals in Dubai and long queues at the A&E in London hospitals.
53 Running in the Hajjar
The Wadi Bih Run starts from Dibba to RAK and back, running through the spectacular Hajjar Mountains.
18 What is the pest way out? “Calling all the creatures of the night, to vacate my home with immediate effect.”
9 Mesmerising India! The Commonwealth Games, tourism awards, visa-on arrivals, seamless travel and India Tourism’s well chartered thematic tours promise to bring to India a larger number of tourists in 2010.
38
56
10 things for new boat owners to consider
A short break
When selecting a new boat, it is of vital importance to consider the reasons for the actual boat purchase; assess your key priorities to ensure you get an effective return on investment before doing anything, let alone handing over your credit card.
A long time adovocate for short holidays during the year to help re-charge the batteries also likes to take a short break when something has gone right; a feel-good reward. But in this land of a long annual holiday it is sometimes difficult to take advantage of the special deals offered by those in other lands. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 3
IN THE
What an honour
T
he beginning of a new year has grown from the receipt of 960,000 saw the month of January full hotel guests in 2004 to 1.54 million of hope for a recovery from last year and to being recommended by the nasty things that had Lonely Planet and Frommer’s as one of happened during the previous 12 months. their Top Ten recommended destinations The difficult financial dilemmas that to visit in 2010. were surmounted in 2009 are cautiously Dubai Financial Market announced being recognised as successes that should that the value of shares bought by foreign be praised – out loud – so that others investors, or non-UAE nationals, durcan be cheered by it all. Awards, a return ing the last week of January reached to investing in a variety of Dh839.42m categories, visits by royalty and comprising foreign dignatories and a long47.63 per cent ing for ordinary folk to enjoy of the total simple pleasures abounded. value of stocks Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon traded during Al Nahyan, Chairman of the the period. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority value of stocks (ADTA) and Tourism Develsold by foreign opment & Investment Cominvestors durpany (TDIC), was announced as the winner of the aHiC 2010 leadership award. He will receive the award at the Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan 6th Annual Arabian Hotel Ining the same period vestment Conference (AHIC), being held reached Dh954.98m on 1 – 3 May 2010 at Madinat Jumeirah, comprising 54.19 Dubai. per cent of the total As Chairman of ADTA since 2004, value of stocks traded Sheikh Sultan has spearheaded the during the period. Net development of ADTA over the past five foreign investment on years into an international award-winning the market reached organisation which was named ‘Best Dh115.56m during Tourist Board’ in the 2009 World Travel the same period, as Awards. His ADTA tenure has seen Abu aggregate sell. Dhabi develop into a destination which 4 l UAE Digest, February 2010
Classic car collectors can register their cars for the annual Downtown Dubai Classic Car show, organised by Emaar Properties at Emaar Boulevard in Downtown Dubai. Following the huge success of the show in 2009, the second Classic Car Show will be extended to four days from February 18 to 21, 2010. Emaar is organising the event with the support of the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE) - a member of the ‘Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens’ (FIVA), the world-wide authority for historic vehicles. Classic car owners, interested in participating in the event, can register directly on www.emaar.ae. Registration closes on February 11, 2010. Prince albert ii of Monaco, ruler of the Principality of Monaco and renowned
Ferrari fan, was given an exclusive tour of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the world’s first Ferrari and largest indoor theme park, set to open on Yas Island in the second half of the year. Prince Albert, a passionate car collector, was offered a private tour inside the 86,000m2 park, during his recent visit to Abu Dhabi. The new headquarters of Sharjah
Prince Albert II of Monaco
Islamic Bank (SIB) has been officially opened by HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who praised the development of the Islamic banking sector and the vital role played by SIB in increasing economic growth to new levels of performance and competitiveness. The opening of the new headquarters is in line with the growth requirements of the Islamic banking sector in the region. Overlooking Khan Cornish, the new SIB headquarters comprises 30 floors at a total cost of Dh300 million, nine of which have been designated for the operation of the headquarters and for management offices, while floors 10 to 28 have been designated as a luxury residential compound. His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik of Denmark, recently visited the headquarters of Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) where he was met by His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC. HRH Frederik and a Danish delegation of senior diplomats and business dignitaries received an overview introduction on the company’s exciting projects and its role in developing Abu Dhabi as a major tourist destination. The delegation also viewed a project update
presentation with a focus on Saadiyat Island and Desert Islands and discussed potential future collaboration and investment opportunities. TDIC recently announced that the company ordered the world’s first two zero-emission electric buses to Abu Dhabi for operation on Sir Bani Yas Island. In line with its environmental policies which adhere to global sustainability standards, these first-oftheir kind vehicles will be introduced from March 2010 to Desert Islands. This makes Sir Bani Yas Island, the 87-square kilometre natural island, the first destination in the world to have a public transportation system run purely on all-electric buses. Produced by US-based bus manufacturer DesignLine Corporation specifically to suit the Middle East climatic conditions, the technologically-advanced, environmentally-friendly vehicles offer the perfect transport solution for Sir Ban Yas, namely for their low noise, low vibration, low maintenance costs and zero carbon emissions. ART Marine, an Abraaj Capital portfolio company and the Middle East’s largest importer and distributor of luxury motor yachts, has signed a long-term agreement with Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Properties as the exclusive Yacht Charter Partner for Yas Island. The development is Aldar’s major leisure and entertainment
destination and venue for the Formula 1(TM) Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The first phase of this project, which included the Yas Marina Circuit, seven hotels, the Yas Marina and all the related infrastructure was delivered ahead of the race in October 2009. The area’s first golf course will open in 2010 as will Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, set to be the world’s largest indoor theme park. Yas Island will also be home to further leisure parks, major retail locations, further hotels, restaurants, and many other exciting venues and facilities. During the recent F1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, ART Marine had the largest number of chartered yachts present including various Benetti megayachts plus numerous other Flybridge and Sports models from the Azimut, Atlantis and Riviera range. The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, represented by Al Ain Museum and Al Ain Municipality and Bawadi Mall successfully organised a three-day heritage exhibition that highlighted the traditional life of UAE citizens. The prominent features were jewellery and handicraft products which reflect the authentic heritage of the Eastern Region’s inhabitants. This exhibition reflected what the local community used to use in the past in their daily lives. Also, it has thrown light on the clothes which used to be worn by groom and bride in the past. The show succeeded in refreshing old customs, introducing them to all generations and sparking a desire to adopt them where possible.
His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik of Denmark
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 5
LABOUR LAWS
The fruits of labour Lack of clarity regarding labour laws in the UAE is leaving employees and employers no choice but to take legal recourse By Ambily Vijaykumar
T
he hiring and firing policies of the land, and the rights of the employers and their employees have always been a subject of debate considering that there is a lack of clarity regarding what the law says. In the wake of the financial crisis when employers are trying to cut out frills, and employees are trying to cling on to the last penny that they can extract from their company, litigation has seen an increase and hence the knowledge of the law becomes crucial. Large-scale redundancies have been the key feature of the financial crisis which has led to several instances where either the employers or employees are finding themselves in unprofitable situations. This is the time a proper understanding of the law is needed to be able to safeguard one’s rights and avoid judicial hassles. The economic crisis has meant that employers are more demanding and employees more often than not are expected to multi-task without getting adequate compensation for it. “It is essential for employees to understand the gravity of the current 6 l UAE Digest, February 2010
Cynthia Trench
economic climate while demanding compensation and also be forthcoming with lending whatever support they can at a time when business is very hard to come by,” says Cynthia Trench of Trench and Associates, legal consultancy firm. The situation becomes complicated in cases where the employee is an expat. In such cases, when there is a
job loss, “what rights does an employee have?” and “what are the rights of the employers?” become crucial questions since there is money at stake. The law clearly states 10 different cases where an employer can dismiss a worker. The reasons include misappropriation of personal information, incurring substantial loss to the organisation, being absent from work for more than 20 consecutive days without a valid reason, among others. Likewise, a worker also holds the right to quit without notice in a situation where either he/she is assaulted by either the employer or his legal representative; and if the employer fails to comply with his obligations towards the worker. It is in cases like these that having a proper work permit becomes crucial. There are situations where workers, generally women, work without a proper work permit as they prefer staying on their husband’s visa. It also turns out to be a convenient position for the organisation since they don’t have to spend money for processing a visa as well as also providing the other benefits that accompany it. But it is illegal to do this. Not only are the employees compromising on their rights, but they are also running the
for the extra hours put in at work. In cases where an employee has to overstay due to work requirements, he is entitled to receive remuneration equal to that corresponding to his normal hours of work and also a supplement of at least 25 per cent of the remuneration. In cases where the extra hours of work fall between 9 pm and 4 am, the employee is entitled to get remuneration stipulated for his normal working hours and a supplement of at least 50 per cent of the remuneration. There is also a limit to which overtime can be demanded from employees. As per the law, the actual hours of overtime should not be more than two hours a day, unless it is essential to avoid substantial loss or a serious accident. Friday has been fixed as the weekly rest day, except in the case of daily-paid workers. In cases where people have to work on this day, they have to be given a leave on any other day or compensated
risk of being caught by government inspectors who might come on to the workplace on a surprise visit. “In a situation where there are no valid documents to support your work permit, it is essential to show at least the documents that are being processed for acquiring a work permit. These documents would suffice in cases of a surprise inspection,� says Cynthia Trench. With the Wage Protection System in the UAE, the chances of defaulting employers being caught is that much higher, since without proper documentation of the number of workers working for them, they will not be authorised to make salary payments to them. While employers have their set of obligations to fulfil, the law is also clear about what employees are obliged to do in order to benefit from the provisions for them. Maximum working hours is capped at eight per day and forty eight per week. The exceptions are those working in the hotel industry, guards, factories and construction site workers. The law also states that the number of working hours can be decreased in the case of arduous or unhealthy operations, by order of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs. During Ramadan, these working hours are reduced by two per day as per the law. Corresponding to any increase in the working hours, the law also safeguards the right of the employee to be earning necessary compensation UAE Digest, February 2010 l 7
with remuneration for normal hours of work, along with a supplement of at least 50 per cent of the remuneration. When an employee has to work either on his rest day or during a public holiday due to any reason, he is entitled to full partial pay, compensatory leave in respect of such days, along with a bonus equal to 50 per cent of his remuneration. If he is not compensated for such days by leave, the employer is legally bound to pay him a bonus equal to 150 per cent of his basic remuneration. Work hours apart, holidays generally become a point of contention for many. It is compulsory to give prior notice and obtain managerial consent before going on annual leave. The law entitles employees to two leaves a month, when the worker has completed more than six months but less than a year of service, and thirty leaves a year, when the worker has been with the organisation for more than a year. “It is advisable that employees try not to split their leaves into more than two parts,” advises Cynthia Trench. Leave pay needs to be paid to the employee before the commencement of the leave period and it needs to be paid in full. The pay is calculated as basic along with accommodation allowance. When a worker’s service is terminated, the person is entitled to annual leave in respect of fractions of the last year. But can an employee be sacked while on leave? The law does provide scope for cases where the employer holds the right to do that, but generally, the law gives the employee the benefit of not being sacked without notice or being dismissed while on leave. A person who has completed one year of service with an organisation is entitled to severance pay on the termination of his service. This pay is calculated as remuneration of 21 days for each year for the first year of service and 30 days remuneration for each additional year, provided that the aggregate amount 8 l UAE Digest, February 2010
of severance pay shall not exceed a remuneration of two years. In the case of an expat who leaves work without a valid reason before the expiry of a contract for a limited period, he may not, even with the employer’s consent, take up another employment for one year from the date on which he left his work. It is not lawful for any other employer who is aware of the fact to recruit such a worker or keep him in service before the expiry of such period. “It is essential for employees to study their contracts of employment, and it is just more than the letter of appointment. Because during times of dispute, it is the written word in these contracts that are taken into account. It is essential for the work contract to match with the Ministry of Labour contract in order to avoid any situation where the case comes before the court of law,” explains Cynthia Trench. Disputes generally arise since companies do not take the initiative to provide clarity about various provisions to their employees, and hence that leads to lack of accountability on part of the employees who find it difficult to find access to the records.
Cynthia Trench specialises in corporate and property law as well as private clients. Her expertise is in respect of enabling clients to be established in the Middle East expeditiously in a cost effective way. Furthermore, she has handled many mergers and acquisitions. In recent years, with the property boom and financial crisis, she has turned the firm around by not only assisting clients in restructuring developers’ contracts or sales and purchases, but also in disputes resolutions in property, construction and rental matters. Cynthia arrived in Dubai in 1989. Her first language is English but she also speaks Cantonese and French. Cynthia obtained her licence on 10 February 1996 from the Rulers Office of the Government of Dubai as the first female expatriate licensed Legal Consultant. Cynthia has spoken at many seminars. In 2004, she was awarded Best Service Provider by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai on behalf of Small Medium Enterprise.
TRAVEL
Mesmerising India! The Commonwealth Games, tourism awards, visa-on arrivals, seamless travel and India Tourism’s well chartered thematic tours promise to bring to India a larger number of tourists in 2010. Kumari Selja, Union Minister for Tourism, Government of India, unveils the country’s well chalked out tourism plan By Manju Ramanan
T
he lobby at the Atlantis is in India directly or indirectly dependent packed with Indians, as we on agriculture, about 26 per cent of sit watching the sea of people GDP comes from agriculture. India is emerging out of its vast a land of 110 million farmers dwelling precincts. Apart from holidayers, a real in 625,000 villages producing more estate event has brought a huge majority of than 200 MT of food grains. That is the people there, who have tagged along their numeric side to it. But more than calling families to mix business with pleasure. it a profession or business, agriculture So, it seems as if the mood is already set for my interview with Kumari Selja, Honorable Union Minister for Tourism, Government of India. India Tourism’s Dubai office has been steadfast in its promotion of the country’s vast reservoirs of thematic tours and Selja’s visit adds to their recent chain of events. It is impossible to encapsulate India’s tourism in a select few monuments or tours, so, the Tourism department Selja Kumari, Union Minister for Tourism, Government of India has actively built circuits centering around themes. “The is part of the culture of India. Agrilatest being agriculture and handicrafts,” tourism is a step in the same direction. according to Kumari Selja, who feels India is the largest producer of milk, that agri-tourism is an emerging aspect cashew nuts, coconuts, tea, ginger, of the Indian tourism industry. turmeric and black pepper in the world, Touted as the backbone of the Indian it also has the world’s largest cattle economy with 85 per cent of the population population (281 million) and the second
largest producer of wheat, rice, sugar, groundnut and inland fish plus it ranks in the production of banana and sapota. According to Kumari Selja, agriculture tourism, or farm tourism, is coming up in certain parts of the country catering to both domestic and international tourists. “Staying in a farm house is getting very interesting. Also some Indian products are very ‘niche’, alphonso mangoes and basmati rice for instance, that are popular all over the world. Travellers interested in agri-tourism can go and stay in a mango orchard for instance,” she states. Agri-tourism is part of the rural tourism circuit the government of India is developing. “Also, agriculture tourism is closely related to rainfall, another aspect that gets visitors to the country,” she adds. However it is also true that India’s domestic tourism market is huge, in fact a hundred times bigger than its foreign trade. “While trying to make domestic tourism more dynamic, we feel there is UAE Digest, February 2010 l 9
a huge potential to activate our foreign tourist arrivals since it contributes to sizeable foreign exchange,” she states. A step in this direction is a one year pilot project that she has introduced for trippers from five countries who will get visas on arrival. The countries include Finland, Luxemburg, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand. “There was a huge demand from these countries for such a move and we shall review the results at the end of the year. This is a gesture from our side and no, it is not mutual. But it reflects our self confidence,” she adds. Unlike yesteryears, tourism in India is not centred on monuments. “We showcase products and so tourism is centred on many levels - luxury holidays, wild life safaris, health, adventure tours, beaches, deserts, religion, festivals and fairs etc,” she states, and adds, “My experience is that those who go to India once, go again. A huge majority of them are repeats. I met a gentleman here who stayed in India for five months – he went all over India by bus, train etc. Once they are there, there is so much more to see,” she adds. But while it benefits certain sectors, how does tourism help in creating more jobs for the local population? “It does surely. For example, in rural tourism, we tied up with UNDP with certain villages and they studied that tourism increases the income of the local people. They are the service providers, guides, craftsmen, the hosts of the holidaymakers, so they are bound to benefit,” she states. The government also trains locals 10 l UAE Digest, February 2010
to increase their efficiency in tourism. The government of India has even instituted a tourism award that recognises achievements in different fields connected to tourism. The award is given to the municipality that is most well prepared to receive visitors and is tourist friendly. “We have recently announced this award and the winner, who is usually a mayor or a CEO, will be sent abroad to a place of his/her interest to learn from a municipality in another part of the world and implement what he/ she learnt in his own territory.” To rope in more foreign guests to its shores, the Tourism Department has started ‘the Buddhist circuit’ targeting Buddhist from all over the world. Buddha was born in India and the circuit will traverse through various stages of his life. “In fact, on February 6-7th, we shall have an International meet on Buddhism at Nalanda, the ancient seat of Buddhist learning. We have invited people from major Buddhist nations. There will be a special train that will be run from Delhi linking all the routes on this circuit and it has huge potential for people interested. We are expecting lots of people from Japan, China and many other parts of the world that has Buddhists.” Of course, the upcoming Commonwealth Games this year will be a major landmark for India’s foreign visitors. Selja feels that the games will be just a peg to rope in tourists. “Our tourism goes beyond the
Commonwealth games. People who come to Delhi will surely travel around. The infrastructure in and around Delhi has been upped, especially the area called the Golden Triangle. Additionally, for people who want to travel to other states, we have introduced the concept of seamless travel. India is a federal structure and each state has its own tax structure, so, in the past, taxis were stopped at borders for checking papers etc, the concept of seamless travel does away with that formality and the it will be worked out between the states. We are lighting up our monuments in and around Delhi, improving facilities, amenities etc. We have signed a MoU with the private sector that we will maintain facilities at heritage monuments,” she states. As a result a lot of international chains of hotels are opening in India and the existing ones are expanding. Also, airports, hotels, roads, amenities and facilities are being revamped. Another crowd puller as far as tourism is concerned is cricket, which is a passion in India. “It is the lifeline of the country and the sport offers a great opportunity for cricket enthusiasts to travel to India to watch the game,” she adds. Ask her how important the GCC is to India tourism and she states that it has immense potential because it is culturally close to the Middle East and is located in easy geographical distance. “There has been a tremendous interest in the Middle East for monsoon tourism, wellness tourism and Bollywood. So, we see a large number of tourists coming to India in the near future,” she adds. And how equipped is the Indian government to receive Arab tourists? “The service providers in India are very efficient and some of them know Arabic - and those who don’t can easily learn the language, especially as they are already proficient in various other foreign languages,” she adds.
India wows Africa Incredible India road show in Johannesburg
T
he Ministry of Tourism organised an Incredible India Road Show in Johannesburg on 12th January 2010 to coincide with the passing of the Queen's Baton to promote the Commonwealth Games 2010. During this event 10 double decker buses wrapped in Incredible India images were flagged off by Her Excellency Ms M.Mashabane, Minister of International Relation and Cooperation, Government of South Africa along with Vikram Doraiswamy, Consul General of India to South Africa and TS Darbari, Joint Director General, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. This event was followed by presentations on Incredible India and the Commonwealth Games, and a taste of Indian music and dance. The dinner which followed was the highlight of the evening as the cuisine represented various regions of India. The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Government of South Africa complimented on this mega promotion and spoke highly of India - South Africa relations and India's Tourism products. More than 200 persons belonging to a cross section of African travel trade and media were present during the function.
India Tourism delegates a the Incredible India road show in Johannesburg and at the flagging off ceremony of 10 double decker buses wrapped in Incredible India images
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 11
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HEALTH
Beware of sloppy surgeons warns leading aesthetic and reconstructive expert
D
r Catherine Bergeret– Galley (MD) is perhaps one of the most soughtafter international board-certified plastic surgeons with an A-list clientele across the Middle East and Europe and was in Dubai to attend Arab Health in January. She has been redefining beauty, re-contouring bodies and reshaping faces. Addressing a special conference at Coral Boutique Villas – Al Barsha, she stressed on the importance of well-qualified and experienced cosmetic experts. Dr Catherine says, “As the number of people electing to have plastic surgery continues to rise across the region, the number of corrective revision surgeries, or redos as they are often called, also appears to be increasing at a rate that is high enough to cause concern. Some patients have to undergo multiple surgeries due to complications from sloppy work or from problems that could not have been anticipated. Such revisions are usually under-reported, and there’s no easy way to access that information. It is not something people talk about. Few people want to go on record about seeing a psychiatrist, and the same holds true for cosmetic surgery. They’ll admit to having a glycolic peel or a shot of Botox. But anything else goes unmentioned. The changes are supposed to look natural.” “Secondly, when you go into plastic surgery, you sign away that things can go wrong. My advice is: choose your primary surgeon carefully with a high success and worthy references rate rather than putting yourself in the hands of a novice and going through revision surgery,” she stated. The scope of plastic surgery has
changed over the past few years, with the demand for treatments skyrocketing and becoming more and more common and easily available. At the same time there are many revolutionary developments taking place in the industry. But even as promising new operations increase the rate of success, plastic surgeons often fail to tell patients about them. “The main reason behind this,” explains Dr Catherine, “is that not all surgeons have trained to perform the latest procedures hence it is normal for surgeons to omit telling patients about operations they do not, or rather cannot, perform. Another reason is money: some complex surgeries are less profitable for doctors so they have less of an incentive to offer them. In other cases, the patients prefer to go for cheap options. And
because many reconstruction patients are not being given the full picture of options and dangers involved, they often do not opt for the best and end up with complications. It is really unfortunate.” Dr Catherine believes that there is a need to raise greater awareness about the new and safer treatments available today. “A knowledgeable and more experienced plastic surgeon can help you choose your options better. It is so important to get the message that something that is cheap can be very costly. At the same time patients must do their homework too before getting wooed by fancy marketing. They have to check the credentials of the surgeons before they sign up for any treatment”. Dr Catherine specialises in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery and has over two and half decades of experience in addition to the most prestigious degrees from USA and France. She emphasises: “Looks matter. A little lifting, shaping, plumping, smoothing or suctioning would definitely give you an edge and boost your confidence no matter who you are or what you do. Cosmetic medicine used to be the province of the rich and celebrated who would pay cash up front for their tummy tucks and eyelid lifts. But over the last few years with the advent of reality shows like ‘Extreme Makeovers’ it has become more mainstream with a whole lot of common people embracing vanity medicine. And it is for the best.” Dr Catherine Bergeret-Galley currently operates a private practice in Paris and the Raymond Poincaré Hospital. Visit her blog at: blog.body-surgery.com UAE Digest, February 2010 l 13
HEALTH
Health care chaos When an emergency episode strikes, you would expect the A&E to take good care of you at the hospital, but this wasn’t the case when Rabis.M ended up getting mistreated at one of Dubai’s leading hospitals. Here she talks about the poor administration in hospitals in Dubai and long queues at the A&E in London hospitals.
T
his year has been disastrous for me when it comes to going to the hospital, I certainly dread having to go again. My last experience at a hospital in London led me to question what does ‘emergency’ mean to them? I recently experienced a chaotic episode in one of Dubai’s leading hospitals when rushed to the emergency department. I felt insulted, mistreated and received no help from the hospital staff. This compelled me to complain against the poor practices of the hospital and how such a careless behaviour could lead to severe circumstances for the one supposedly in their care. I was left in trauma and had to literally drag myself out of the hospital bed with no assistance, half knocked out due to heavy sedation. When the doctor informed me that I was discharged, I requested him to get me the hospital transport to drop me back where I was staying. Having agreed to that, I was kept waiting for someone to collect me. As they failed to turn up, I made my way to the pharmacy in a drowsy state to collect my medicine. I was initially shocked when I needed to use the restroom because as I stepped in, it smelled absolutely despicable, it seemed unclean. I had to ask a nurse to call in a cleaner, having made a little effort to clean it, I decided not to step in, as the stench was making me nauseated. I headed off to the pharmacy and was told to go to the next pharmacy within 14 l UAE Digest, February 2010
the hospital. When I had dragged myself there, I was told I needed the signature of the doctor and I would have to go back to get it. I found this extremely unprofessional and unorganised of the doctor. Also, I was continuously treated with hostility by the staff and shown no sympathy at all. I was not accompanied by either family or friend and did not receive any help in getting a taxi at 6.00am when it seemed almost impossible to hail a taxi this early in the morning. My thanks go to a nine year old Emirati boy who saw me in a miserable
state and ordered a taxi for me. I have heard a lot of stories about the mistreatment and malpractice of the staff at hospitals in Dubai, be it private or government. The hospital in question is a government one and seems to be in desperate need of maintenance and upgrading of facilities. In the summer of 2008, I was hospitalised at another hospital in Jumeirah, I was treated unkindly but luckily I had a friend with me who managed to scold the staff. As the staff were mostly Indian, they tended to speak in their mother language and did not bother speaking English, which I felt was insulting as they could have been talking about anyone – even me. They tended to speak in Urdu or Hindi to their fellow Asians and were quite rude to them at times. Maybe speaking the same language does not necessarily solve your problem or get you better treatment. While during my recent hospitalisation in Dubai, I felt a similar discrimination, the staff talked to me as if I were a fellow employee instead of a patient, and they did not treat me with respect. This only deters me from going to the same hospital the next time as I am certain of being mistreated by another set of nurses and support staff. The doctor on duty was not very concerned either. While in London, I experienced another kind of setback as the emergency time can
be up to four hours and this is considered the ‘normal procedure’. When I personally questioned a fellow doctor friend, she told me “they were short of doctors in the UK and emergency cases were usually referred to if someone was about to die, there and then; and that other cases could be dealt with on a less urgent approach”. I certainly can not agree to such poor mishandling of cases as I witnessed at one of the leading hospitals in Central London when a man with a severe head injury sat waiting in the triage, as his head bled continuously. I must say that the healthcare facilities in the UK are much better when it comes to the government hospitals in Dubai but I totally despise the way the emergency cases are dealt with. The UK Government has reviewed the health agenda for the year and has increased the opening times for clinics, which usually send a referral to hospitals for treatments. One of the most interesting aspects I find about the emergency cases handled in Dubai is the way they treat you like an emergency and not make you wait for four hours, pros and cons to both the cities in their own respective manner. Also, women are given more significance when it comes to their severity of accident, as this happened to me last year and I was rushed in and given good treatment at
another government hospital in Dubai. Another issue that I would like to raise here is: do doctors and nurses really sympathise with the patient’s pain; or is that just part of the job? Whilst in UAE, I noticed that the majority of nurses are sympathetic and so are the doctors, but in the UK, some of the nurses could not care less about how much pain you suffer. A level of humanity is lacking; one does not want to openly complain for fear that they will be mistreated. Stigma is associated with the hands that care for us which could, maybe, harm us. However, I am not generalising or stereotyping as I have experienced both good and bad in London and Dubai. I do firmly believe that there is a strong need for the administration to be reshuffled in the government hospitals in Dubai, as employing efficient and friendly staff is a must and employees who are mistreating patients should receive a warning. The first point of contact a patient has are the staff and if that leaves a bad impression, the rest is considered useless as we need to feel safe and in good hands. The health authorities need to take strict action against complaints, while in the UK, emergency cases need to be treated like emergency and not make one feel as if they are on a waiting in a picnic lounge. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 15
HEALTH
Wealth of health There is pain to be endured in the healthcare industry. Not merely physical pain but the pain of expenses that comes with unnecessary diagnosis, medication and examination. Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman and MD of DM Healthcare who recently won the Pravasi Bhartiya Award, the highest Indian government award conferred on non-resident Indians, is resolved to belt the ‘pain’ out of treatment. By Manju Ramanan
“T
he right dose of ethics makes a difference to your attitudes in life,” says Dr Azad Moopen. Words that you’d usually associate with an academic’s lexicon rather than a medical practioner’s. Well, he has been both. And today, has effectively combined both aspects of his life to run a successful business too, a business that is based on the ethics of philanthropy. Cost effectiveness is one of the pillars his group believes in and he has only recently started a community dialysis centre at the MIMS Charitable Trust at Wadakara, India. Patients using this facility will get one third of the cost free, one third subsidised and one third paid. About 10 million rupees has been poured into the unit already. However, teaching remains a huge passion for this altruist who wants to make a difference to the world. He started out as an assistant lecturer at the Calicut Medical College, (where he also graduated in General Medicine, and did an MD), before coming to the UAE in 1987. But destiny had other plans for him. Moopen arrived in Ajman to join his close friend Dr Ali on a two year leave from his teaching career, and stayed on. “Dr Ali and his wife Ayesha Bi had a clinic near the Ajman Municipality (they still do and Azad Moopen, Chairman and MD, Dr Moopen’s it is called Zahra Clinic) and I joined them,” Group, recently received the prestigious ‘Outstanding he states. However at the behest of his friend, Contribution of an Individual to the Middle East Healthcare Industry Award’ at Arab Health and Moopen decided to try his luck in Dubai. Innovation awards.
16 l UAE Digest, February 2010
“My friend, a very kind and generous man, advised me to go to Dubai because, at that time, Ajman was like a small village and my job there could be done by anyone with an MBBS degree; and I was over-qualified. So, I came to Dubai,” he states. He started his first clinic in Bur Dubai and saw 100-150 patients a day. Soon his practice started flourishing and growing from clinic to clinics, to became an entire group of units. Today, the Moopen’s Group has seven specialty hospitals, 25 branded neighbourhood medical centres, 50 branded pharmacies across GCC and in India, and a consultancy division to source potential human resources and act as consultant’s for major healthcare partners in the region. It has its operations in UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and India. The group has chalked out its five year road map of investing 400 million dirhams in new hospitals in the UAE. “Presently we have 75 units that will quadruple within five years - that will become 250 units. As far as distribution of these units go, we have a maximum presence in Dubai but will soon have a number of them in Abu Dhabi, Ajman and Sharjah. Outside the GCC, the most focussed area will be Saudi Arabia as it has a huge market. Apart from clinics there, we shall have pharmacies and hospitals too. We have a total of four hospitals now, we will add another eight – making it 12,” he states. Affordability has been a key factor
in Dr Moopen’s group. “Our classes. We investigate costs and make sure that target audience is the middle we keep them in control.” income that requires affordable With a motto for his health care. We do only what is life that involves traversing absolutely necessary. There are the road less travelled, no frills, even in treatment we do Moopen believes in the not investigate exhaustively or spirit of enterprise. prescribe like a shot gun activity, “The safest place for we like to pinpoint the problem. ships is the harbour but We always train our doctors and that is not where ships are paramedics to only do what is meant to be. They need essential and needs to be done.” to cross the length and “Healthcare organisations Dr Moopen receives the Pravasi Bhartiya Award from the President of India, breadth of the ocean to find across countries have made Mrs Pratibha Singh Patil. The award recognises Dr. Azad Moopen's notable medicine a business proposition, we contribution to social and humanitarian causes, leadership qualities, his passion newer continents,” he states to reach the underprivileged and commitment to provide best medical facilities paraphrasing Mark Twain. believe in philanthropy,” he states. to the people of Gulf countries and India He feels that many people As a result insurance companies have done healthcare and too are happy with them. there are two ways of looking at it – as “But there are certain realities like the to Delhi to do a course in chest disease at a business and as philanthropy - and he increasing cost of living and salaries. In Patel Chest Institute, DU only returning chooses the latter trying to create a difference times of difficulty, we have never increased to teach in my alma mater” he states. to the world. Moopen now wants to step out tariff on an annual basis. We try and Moopen’s foray in the UAE has to the next level, to extend his expertise reduce costs by being prudent about our been interesting and rewarding as in the healthcare industry and establish expenses. We negotiate well with suppliers, well. Ask him what have been the more not-for-profit hospitals and clinics. bargain with our landlords – so that we inspiring moments of his career and he As for his passion for teaching, Moopen stay as a unit with our cornerstone of states ‘goodness’ as the foremost. accessibility, affordability and quality”. “The goodness of the people here is believes that this is the time to teach the So, what about the group’s med incomparable to anywhere else in the world. community through awareness campaigns shops and diagnostic centres? Are they I have been blessed to have as a friend, about preventable cancers, cervical cancers, tied up with doctor’s prescriptions? Jamal Majid Khalfan Bin Thani who is breast cancers, diabetes, etc through the “We don’t operate like that. The cost also VP, Nakheel and Dubai World. At a media. Also, he shall shortly be starting a of most medicines are controlled in the time when 51 per cent of business was with medical college. “I have extended my teaching pharmacy and most doctors write the brand a local he gave me, in writing, a statement capabilities to help educate people about names and not generic names. So there is not saying that what we were creating, belonged health through my clinics and hospitals; too much choice for the pharmacists. There is to me and that he was merely helping me and my numerous clinics and hospitals no connection between the pharmacies and out to do things. It is very touching to see see more patients today than I ever could the clinics. They are different business. It is this kind of support from people here. single-handedly,” he adds. We agree. a matter of ethics,” he adds, attributing it to You cannot expect this kind of support, his parents. “I was born in Mallapuram in even from relatives,” adds Moopen. Kerala to a well-to-do family but my father Another person who has inspired “Our target audience is the middle made sure that we were socially conscientious. Moopen has been the former President of income that requires affordable health In his secondary school, Moopen once India, the dynamic APJ Abdul Kalam. care. We do only what is absolutely nectook part in a strike in school where students “I met him briefly during the course of essary. There are no frills, even in treatstormed out of the class. “My father was receiving an award from him. Even in that ment we don’t investigate exhaustively aghast and packed me off to Calicut to short while, he inspired me. We spoke about or prescribe like a shot gun activity, we the St Joseph’s Boys School,” he states. In the pain that healthcare brings, not physical like to pinpoint the problem. We always cosmopolitan Calicut Moopen was exposed pain, but the pain of expensive treatment train our doctors and paramedics that to the big wide world and realised that that is produced by unnecessary medication what is essential only needs to be done. student politics and academic excellence and investigation,” he explains. As a result, Healthcare organisations across councould go hand in hand. “My politics and he makes sure that his treatments come with tries have made medicine a business studies continued simultaneously. Then I estimated costs. “We have some guidelines proposition, we believe in philanthropy,” got into PG at Calicut University, did my for expenditure per person. We have clinics states Dr Moopen MD in General Medicine and then went for labour class, middle income and higher UAE Digest, February 2010 l 17
HABITAT
What is the
pest way out? By Ambily Viyajkumar
“C
alling all the creatures of the night, to vacate my home with immediate effect,” shouted Naina at the top of her voice, the day after she spotted a rat make an ‘Usain Bolt dash’ into her kitchen. Like half of the living human race on earth, Naina is petrified of rats and their ilk. Coming as the incident did on the eve of the weekend that she had been eagerly awaiting, Naina was overcome with fury and frustration in equal measure. “Let it be, dear, it’s just a rat,” comforted Akhil, Naina’s husband, who wanted to have an extended sleep to cover up for all the early waking up through the week. But that did little to soothe her nerves. Little Khushi was asleep next to her father, unaware that her mother was waging a war with a little creature that “only wanted some food and meant no harm”. 18 l UAE Digest, February 2010
Armed with her fear and fury, Naina tiptoed towards the kitchen much like a cat moving stealthily towards its prey. Her eyes scanned every movement on her way to the kitchen door. Suddenly the mobile rang; Naina’s heart skipped a beat. She mouthed a few expletives at the anonymous caller and went about her mission. “Khushi will be awake anytime now and her breakfast needs to be made, milk needs to be boiled. I can’t begin my day without tea,” her mind jogged along these thoughts as she finally stood at the threshold that had temporarily separated her territory from that of her troublemaker. It was too early to
call up pest control, so Naina had to don the battle-gear herself. “It must have gone by now,” she said to herself as she entered the kitchen. It was like getting into the river after a long time; there was no escaping the water and the creatures in it. She felt tied by the fear, her palms sweating and her ears burning. “What a fine ballet dancer I would have made,” she thought. She had been on her toes long enough to credit herself with that honour. Naina wanted to plant her feet firmly on the ground, but something held her back. As a child, she remembered her time spent in a desert city in India where lizards in all sizes and shades pasted themselves on walls like decorative photo frames. But when they fell on the floor making the most repulsive sounds, Naina the little girl, would jump on to her bed and not get down till the lizard was gone. Lady luck was on holiday one fine Sunday afternoon, when little Naina went into the kitchen to dig into some ice-cream that her mother has stocked in the fridge. A few steps away from her goal, Naina felt like she had stepped on a lump of jelly. Rolling her inquisitive eyes to the floor she found a lizard quickly rush underneath the gas cylinder. A state of delirium followed. The shock of having virtually touched upon, rather stamped upon, her greatest fears then left the little girl speechless as she made her way out of the kitchen into the living
room and glided herself onto the sofa. It took a lot of convincing on her mother’s part to finally separate her from the couch. That incident was written in indelible ink in her memory. And every time she thought about it, she would lift her feet off the ground as if that creature still lay between her skin and that of the floor. At the present moment, she could not imagine accidentally giving a rat a hemorrhage by throwing her sixty-odd kilo weight on it, so she chose to tip-toe. She switched on the gas burner and put some milk in the vessel to boil. Every second kept ticking away in her mind, till that fateful moment arrived. Her trouble maker appeared from hiding and as if in a moment of emotional frustration, made a suicidal jump on to the burner. But it escaped unhurt. The shock of the sight froze Naina for a moment, but the memories of that childhood
incident acted like the performance enhancing drug that some ill-fated athletes take. She let out a shriek, rushed to the living room and fell on the couch like a mini tsunami. Akhil rushed in his pyjamas wondering what catastrophe had befallen his wife. “What happened Naina?” he asked shaking off the slumber that clung on to him. “That thing hasn’t gone. It jumped on to the burner when I was boiling milk,” Naina replied, fear clutching her in its firm grip. “I hope it did not jump into the milk,” Akhil said and made his way into the kitchen. Ensuring that the rodent hadn’t jumped into the milk, he threw the hot milk into the sink, switched off the light and locked the kitchen door. “How did that thing get inside,” Naina questioned. “You should have listened to me when I asked you not to keep the kitchen window open without the UAE Digest, February 2010 l 19
mesh pulled down,” Akhil replied. It was going to be an action-packed Friday for the family. Pest control had to be called and arrangement for breakfast, lunch and dinner needed to be made, making sure that Khushi gets to eat the kind of food that won’t make her sick; after all, the two-year-old had been diagnosed and could not be given just about anything edible under the sun. An hour long wait later, Akhil dialled pest control. They said since it is a Friday, it would take them at least one hour to reach the home. The next hour was spent carrying out the rest of the morning chores. Khushi, in the meantime, had woken up and was hungry. The door-bell rang. Naina’s eyes glowed as if her saviour had come home to put an end to her torment. “Please come in”, she guided the guys from the pest control to her kitchen door. “I think it entered the kitchen yesterday night and I saw it in the morning today. It jumped on to the burner when I was boiling milk. Please take it out, there is a kid at home and it is difficult to manage without being able to use the kitchen,” Naina said, her tone turning into a plea for rescue. So her temporary ‘foot soldiers’ set about their task to catch the menacing rat. Out came some dried fish and with it the stink; then came the trap. It was a black plastic plate with some kind of glue on it. “Don’t touch this, this is poisonous,” they warned. They placed three such traps in different places in the kitchen. Naina let out a sigh of relief and asked them, “How long will it take for the rat to be caught?” “We will come back after two days and see if it is stuck to these traps and then we will take it away,” they informed. “Oh no, is there no way of catching it right now,” Naina asked, worried. “If you can tell us where exactly you saw it go, we can try finding it there. Rats don’t generally sit in one place. So it would be tough finding it,” they said. Naina’s hopes of having a relaxed day ahead were dashed once again. Soon her ‘foot soldiers’ were gone and with them, the hopes of seeing her tormenter leave her home too. The rest of the day was spent making occasional trips to the nearby restaurant to buy food. Akhil couldn’t cook to save his life, so convincing Naina to get into the kitchen was the only 20 l UAE Digest, February 2010
way out. Little Khushi was kept on fruits, and cornflakes for the better part of the day. Akhil sought the help of willing neighbours to boil milk for his little one. And so, Friday was gone. Akhil went to work on Saturday and that left Naina, Khushi and the little rat at home. Before going to work, Akhil checked the traps to find if the bait worked. Naina didn’t want to be disappointed, but it seemed that in this battle, she was losing ground at least for the moment. She ordered her breakfast and lunch over the phone and managed to cook some food for Khushi with some generous help from neighbours. But Naina was embarrassed to do this. She was letting her secret out. “Even if my neighbours were caring, they would be laughing at my fear of something like a rat,” she wondered. So she told them that since the rat had been in the kitchen for a long time, it would be dangerous to use the utensils before washing them thoroughly. And what sense does it make to keep washing utensils if the rat was still around? That was a pretty convincing argument to seek the neighbour’s help, she thought. Akhil was back from work in the evening and was virtually dying to have some homecooked food. Overcome by frustration at being held hostage in his own home, by a rodent, he went into the kitchen to see if the bait that the pest control guys had left had worked. Sadly, it had not. So he charged into the kitchen armed with a broomstick. He turned back and locked the kitchen door. All that Naina heard for a few minutes was the sound of the broom hitting the floor. After much suspense, the kitchen door opened and out emerged Akhil armed with the broom and a white polythene cover. He held the cover up and showed it to Naina. She gave out a loud shriek. The rat lay dead in its temporary white coffin. “Come see it from near, that is the only way to overcome your fear,” said Akhil. Naina rushed to the bedroom with Khushi and did not turn back. She felt elated and miserable at the same time. That night, Naina cooked Akhil’s favourite dish and Khushi slept peacefully after a filling dinner. The news of the weekend spoiled by
the rat reached far and wide. Akhil had jokingly mentioned it to his friends at office. One of his colleagues was also a close family friend whom they visited very often. A week later, on a Thursday evening, Akhil called his colleague to ask him whether his family would be interested in having dinner outside. Naina heard Akhil laugh over the phone and put it down. “What’s the matter Akhil, why are you laughing? Are they interested in coming out with us,” asked Naina. “There is a rat in their kitchen,” said Akhil. Naina could empathise with them. They also had a little one to take care of. So the duo took it upon themselves to take their friends out for dinner. They drove to their house and what a sight it was there. The front room was doubling up as their kitchen. They had managed to move the hotplate and oven out. Their one-year-old son was too young to handle restaurant food. Akhil volunteered to kill the rat, but then, it was not familiar territory. They warned that since it is a centrally airconditioned apartment, it is difficult to spot and nab the rat. It has several places to hide. Moreover, they had called pest control and they had laid similar traps in this house as well. Their hopes of catching it were high. The dinner conversation was centered on the rat. A rather graphic explanation of eating preferences of people from a certain country was the most unsavoury part. But the couple took solace from the fact that their home was not the only place that had them. “Even the world’s only seven-star hotel apparently had one. It is strange how the creature made its way inside, but it gave the hotel staff a nightmare,” said Akhil’s colleague. And so, the night came alive with these little nothings. A fortnight after this meeting, Akhil got an SMS that read; “Victory at last, the infiltrator has been annihilated. Sweets await you at my home that is now sweet home again.” Akhil read it out to Naina and said, “Imagine having that rat in your house for fifteen days.” Naina smiled back as the two of them prepared to go and share the moment of joy with their family friends.
JAZZ
And all that jazz By Linda Benbow
I
remember watching old black and white movies with my father, of Louis Armstrong, Count Bassi, Lena Horne and more earthy singers roaming the streets of New Orleans playing trumpets and saxophones, singing and enjoying themselves. The storylines were lost on me, as a youngster I just enjoyed the fun moments of song and dance. Did people really just burst into song, or carry instruments in case they met their friends and could jam together? Yes, of course, they did. There was the proof on the silver screen. And, many years later, I have found a similar experience in real life, here in Dubai. At the Dubai Jazz Festival held annually at Dubai Media City in its amphitheatre by the lake. Having visited the first event in 2003, and enjoyed the quaint experience of reliving my youth by sitting on the grass, sipping a drink while swaying to the music around me; I decided to go the next year, and the next too. It got better each time with more and more famous names joining the bands of unknowns, or only locally known, talent. Maybe its an age thing, but it seems that those who are 40years+ are the ones who are leading the singing and clapping at the many acts dotted around the arena. Yes, there is more than one stage. Stroll between them while enjoying the kiosks and outlets dotted
James Morrison
around, or just sit and enjoy the fresh air and easy-going of contentment that always fills places of music. This year, once again, seating is being provided in the form of chairs and picnic tables with built in benches. One of the stages is within the Network Jazz Garden area that is free to enter to those who have printed an invitation from www.dubaijazzfest.com. Otherwise it is Dh100 per person for walk in guests (inclusive of two drinks). Children under 10 will be admitted free of charge. The opening acts in the Garden will be a collection of New York’s favourite Jazz bands who will engage the crowd with fresh and distinct music, with improvisation of the most genial Jazz
rhythms. These bands are known in their hometown for their different approaches to music creativeness and inventions. There will be young musicians from Hamburg too, a city which offers a ‘Jazz’ major. This year’s festival runs from February 10 – 19 with 26 bands playing for your entertainment. The Brand New Heavies, David Gray, James Morrison and dozens more musicians and jazz specialists will be hotting up the city. One of the more enjoyable music events, this is a chilled out affair whether you’re dropping in for the occasional show or attending every night. This main event will be preceded with a week of free concerts and varied shows at The Walk, Jumeirah Beach residence between the 3rd and 9th. This newly created concept of quality live entertainment will be featuring 16 bands flying in on Emirates from all over the globe alongside their local fellow bands to rock the beach. Each night will feature two bands, one local/ UAE resident followed by an international band, and three bands during Thursday and Friday. During weekdays the first show will start at 8:30pm and the second show at 10pm, Thursday and Friday shows to start at 7pm. The line-up will cover various genres of Jazz to cater to the majority of the residents and to attract the maximum of music tastes and nationalities. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 21
DSF 2010
Fun, food, fair and festivities The festival, over the years, has been redefining the nature of entertainment and shopping in the region, while at the same time raising the bar for other similar festivals By Vanit Sethi
T
he Dubai Shopping Festival - which began in 1996 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai - is in its 15th year now. In all these years, it has only grown in size and stature. From 1.6 million visitors in 1996, the DSF attracted 3.35 million visitors last year – more than double; while the total spend during the festival rose from Dh2.15 billion in 1996 to Dh9.8 billion in 2009 – a jump of 450 per cent. The 2006-07 season, which was a combined 11th & 12th DSF (running for 45 days from December 20, 2006 to February 2, 2007), registered a record 3.5 million visitors with a Dh10.2 billion spend. Even during the past 22 l UAE Digest, February 2010
two recession years (2008-09), the drop in visitors as well as total spend was marginal, while the number of visitors rose slightly in 2009 as compared to 2008 (from 3.2million to 3.35million), the total spend dropped from Dh10b to Dh9.8b (a mere 0.2b drop). DSF is based primarily on the theme of ‘One World, One Family, One Festival’ that aims to treat families of diverse nationalities and family members of all ages with the best shopping and family entertainment experience in the region. The festival, over the years, has been redefining the nature of entertainment and shopping in the region, while at the same time raising the bar for other similar festivals. In fact, DSF has been successful in positioning Dubai as the new regional hub for tourism and commerce.
This success has been possible through the cooperation between the government and private sectors. The public-private partnership in several areas, apart from DSF, has catapulted Dubai to the front-ranking cities of the world. Past DSF editions have created benchmarks for successive years, with the DSF Organising Committee striving to make each edition bigger and better. In the first year itself (1996), the festival raffled 121 Lexus cars and 43kg of gold, and set the ball rolling for world class entertainment by leading Arab and international performers. The next year marked the arrival of the Global Village on the Creek side, which turned out to be the biggest crowd puller for its international pavilions. The fireworks too commenced, be-
coming an instant hit. In 1998, the festival sought to popularise itself as a family event, thereby seeing a surge in tourist arrivals to the emirate, which was further strengthened in 1999. By the year 2000, DSF had established itself as a global event, with an impressive growth of visitors from European countries. The growth continued steadily for the next three years. In 2003, several new tourism and retail concepts were introduced, like the Night Souq and the Desert Camp, besides Carpet Oasis and Dubai Fashion. 2003 also had a spate of cultural events with some of the world’s most talented performers like Whitney Houston, Bryan Adams, AR Rahman, Zakir Hussain and Jethro Tull giving world-class performances. In 2004, Dubai Fashion got a big boost with top fashion houses like Dior, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy and Emnauel Ungaro participating, while 2005 was a bonanza for raffle promotions, with four Emaar property villas also being raffled, besides Nissan and Lexus cars, and 100kg of gold and solitaire diamonds. The 2006-07 combined edition went on for 45 days, with more international events introduced to the festival, like Cirque du Soleil and the Balloon Festival. In 2008, it got a new slogan: ‘The Fifth Season’. By now, DSF had established itself as not only a shopping event, but also a major entertainment hub. Last year, it almost maintained its figures for visitors and total sales, despite being held in the shadow of a worldwide recession. The number of entertainment shows did not decrease, while the Dubai Food Festival too was launched. The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence also became another venue for DSF activities like Comedy Café, Themed Forest Show and acrobatics. And the festival continues to grow, with this year holding many more attractions and surprises. For details of all DSF events, check the Events Calendar on www.mydsf.ae
DSF – FACTS & FIGURES • • • •
Longest running shopping festival of the world. A total of 35 million visitors have spent close to Dh74 billion in all the editions combined. Prizes worth Dh1.3 billion given away, including Dh60 million in cash, 643kg of gold, 33 Rollls Royce, 405 Nissan, and 1,338 Lexus. 40 world records broken since the beginning of DSF for the Guinness Book.
2010 Highlights: • 6,000 outlets putting out promotions. • 50 landmark shopping malls to be part of the festival. • Shoppers can expect discounts of up to 75 per cent on international brands and merchandise. • 150 local and international events await visitors. • Dh65 million is the budget for DSF 2010.
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 23
SOCIETY
Love across borders Vanit Sethi meets five couples from different nationalities who found love in Dubai, reflecting the true spirit of the UAE as a multicultural salad bowl
T
hey came here for work like all of us do, met each at their workplace or at a social gathering, and instantly hit it off. They knew they came from different family backgrounds and held opposing cultural values, but they also knew they shared a lot and were meant for each other. That was enough for them to decide to spend their lives together.
They met in the transit lounge of Dubai airport for the first time after getting engaged
AMNA-EHTESHAM (Pakistan-India): He was the Mumbai correspondent of a Karachi-based magazine of which she was the editor. Then, they formed a group of
24 l UAE Digest, February 2010
They did not think about the problems they might face; for them, being together and facing life together was the most important thing. They wonder what the fuss is about belonging to different nationalities. Sharing similar ideas and viewpoints is the glue that binds them. And UAE is the country that gives them the space to live their dreams, no matter which part of the world they come from.
South Asian journalists to launch a web magazine. Somewhere down the line, they decided to get married. But before that, Ehtesham - or ET, as he is called lovingly by colleagues and friends - started working in Riyadh in a PR firm. They met in Dubai just once before getting married. While Amna was returning from Colombo to Karachi via Dubai, after attending a conference in Sri Lanka, ET flew down from Riyadh to Dubai to meet her. And they met for the first time in the transit lounge of Dubai airport, though they had exchanged photographs before that. “It was a pretty unusual meeting, but we
loved it,” says Amna excitedly, remembering that bright day in early 2002. Though they hadn’t tied the knot as yet, they were already engaged before they met. Now, they have both shifted to Abu Dhabi after living for seven years in Dubai and working as journalists. Amna has done various stints in Dubai in TV, print media and teaching Media Studies in two universities, while Ehtesham has worked in Khaleej Times and Trends. When they decided to get hooked, ET’s parents were okay with his decision, but her parents were a little apprehensive, it being an Indo-Pak alliance. However, the two have managed to walk the tightrope and find more similarities than differences between the two nations. Amna loves Hindi films and Amitabh Bachchan, more than he does. She also loves Indian TV serials and keeps asking ET about Hindu customs and traditions depicted in the serials. But despite some problems they face while visiting one another’s countries, Amna is not averse to the idea of settling down in India. She says: “We are clear about settling down in India because that’s my husband’s home. India is as close to me as my own country.” (Ehtesham works in a government research organisation, while Amna is a freelance broadcast journalist. Both of them live in Abu Dhabi)
They met at a get-together they never wanted to go to in the first place
CATHERINE-ANDREW (UK-India): Both of them never wanted to go to that party at the Double Decker bar where they met each other. But on the insistence of friends, they gave in and met quite by accident. And when they got talking, they didn’t finish till six in the morning. After a couple of meetings, they decided they could get hitched after a few months. Catherine had been travelling all over the world on various jobs. She had just left Arabian Adventures and Andrew had just joined. A friend from South Africa wanted to meet Catherine along with other friends. Andrew’s friends wanted to go for a drink, and so they all met at the Double Decker. “I wanted to meet my friend at home,” says Catherine.
They met at a common friend’s birthday party, and it was horses that brought them closer
EILEEN-ANWER (USA-Pakistan): It was her last three days in Dubai after a three-month stay in Sharjah on an assignment that took her all over the world. At a common friend’s birthday party, both of them met and talked endlessly. He was divorced and had a son, while she was out of an indifferent relationship with a Belgian-American. Talking about everything under the sun, they found out that horses could bring them closer than anything else could. Though vastly different in race, culture and religion, they found a remarkable similarity in ideas, opinions and basic views about life and people. “That’s what matters
“And I never wanted to meet other office colleagues at the pub in the evening,” butts in Andrew. But they did, and they’ve never been apart since. He proposed to her on New Year’s Eve (2006-07) at a beach camp in Jebel Ali, where they stayed for three days. Despite her parents wanting a wedding in England, they got married in the Jebel Ali Church of England shortly thereafter.
eventually,” quips Anwer. “I was, I’m ashamed to admit, a typical self-contained American, with preconceived notions about different communities and people,” says Eileen. “But I was surprised meeting Anwer and other Pakistanis in Dubai. My travels around the world changed my perceptions of people. But the travel was getting a bit too much, and when I discovered I could settle down in Dubai with Anwer, along with doing the kind of work we both love (managing equestrian communities), I went straight
“I was tired of the cold English weather, but Andrew loved the green English countryside and I looked at my own country with fresh eyes then.” Catherine has been to India once and Andrew visited England for the first time after their marriage. Andrew is an Anglo-Indian, and that is where his British accent comes from. But at first glance, he could be mistaken for a southeast Asian, or from the northeast of India. Catherine loves Indian food and prefers an Indian breakfast of paratha and keema or omelette with green chillies than a typical English breakfast. But they both enjoy all kinds of food. Every day is a culinary experience for them. (Andrew works as Senior Project Executive (MICE) in Arabian Adventures, while Catherine looks after their two children Adam and Josh. They live in Uptown Mirdiff, Dubai)
for it.” Her visit to Pakistan also changed her ideas. “My eyes opened up in Pakistan,” admits Eileen, “when I saw many modern and broad-minded Pakistanis.” Anwer says religion doesn’t matter much to him as his mother was a Hindu converted to Islam. (His father had married her in 1942 in undivided India). “I don’t believe in borders. Can you see any borders on the earth when you see it from space?” he questions. “I’m as comfortable in US as here or in Pakistan. But for Eileen, living in Pakistan would be tough,” he admits. “That’s why Dubai is the perfect place for couples like us,” they say. (Anwer and Eileen are partners in Escape Ajman, an equestrian community and Hoofbeatz, a horse training programme. They live in Jumeirah, Dubai, with their son Adil) UAE Digest, February 2010 l 25
They met while learning tango at a hotel in Dubai, and he proposed to her in a horse-carriage in Poland
IDIKO-SAJIT (Hungary-India): He met her while learning tango at the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai and decided she’s the girl for him. They had a common Polish friend in whom he used to confide. She was working in a beauty salon when she met him. But Idiko could never imagine that Sajit would propose to her one day. And in what manner! It so happened that a group of friends was attending his pal’s wedding in Poland. After the friend’s wedding, when they were travelling through Poland, they missed a train and had to take another slow one from Poznan to Krakow. In the train, Sajit decided he would propose to her. When they reached Krakow, he suggested a horse carriage ride, but she was calculating the
They met at her workplace with a group of friends, and both decided ‘this was it’
ARIBA-ATIF (India-Pakistan):
S
he met him while working in Khaleej Times. He used to come there often to meet a group of friends who would go out together, and that’s how they came closer. But she never thought his being a Pakistani could be a problem in their relationship. He too was interested in her, but wanted to confirm she was a Muslim to avoid any problems in their alliance. After a four-year period of friendship, he proposed to her at the KFC in Jumeirah, clearly laying out the difficulties (his family belonged to Pakistan’s ruling establishment). He said he would convince his parents and gave her a month’s time to think it over. But she got back in 10 days, saying she would marry him and none else. They finally got married two years later in April 2006. She was very comfortable with him from the beginning. “I have had many Pa26 l UAE Digest, February 2010
expenses. Giving in to his insistence, she went on the carriage, and it was then that he proposed to her and gave her a ring, while all the people around clapped their hands, in typical Bollywood fashion. This was the beginning of a ‘lovely’ relationship. Back in Dubai, they got busy in their jobs. Idiko’s parents were not opposed to the idea of their matrimony, but Sajit’s father has still not completely
kistani friends right from childhood, having been born and brought up in Dubai,” says Ariba. “I’ve never felt any difference between our cultures, more so since I’m a Muslim. In Pakistan too, I’ve never felt out of place.” Most of Ariba’s relatives are out of India, so she has little ties back home. “I haven’t been to India since 1994, when
‘forgiven’ him. “I get along with her parents better than I get along with my father,” admits Sajit, “despite the language problem, as both her parents don’t understand English.” They kept their daughter’s name Asha after a visit to Asha’s restaurant in Dubai. Idiko loves the name as it means ‘hope’. She says: “I love Indian food and have been to Kerala, his home state. It’s so beautiful and green, I would love to retire there.” But for now, they are both focussed on their careers and want to be in Dubai for at least another 10 years. (Sajit works as a Business Analyst in the IT department of Emirates, while Idiko is a skin therapist at IAMC, a health and beauty clinic in Dubai. They have a twoyear old daughter Asha, and they live in Motor City, Dubai)
I visited Lucknow, my ancestral hometown.” For the sake of her three-year-old son, she has decided to apply for Pakistani citizenship, as her remaining an Indian could complicate matters. Moreover, they plan to emigrate to Canada by next year, in which case they will also apply for Canadian citizenship. “The first time Ariba visited Pakistan, we had to keep visiting police stations,” mentions Atif. “That’s why I decided to get a special multiple entry visa for her through the Pakistani consulate, courtesy of some good friends.” While they have overcome the IndoPak problem due to their faith in each other, their little son scampers around the living room, oblivious of the complicated issues their parents have to deal with. For him, home is where his parents live, and that is the UAE, for now. (Atif works as an Accounts Manager at Emirates Decor, a furniture company, while Ariba is a freelance journalist. They have a three-year old son Izyaan, and they live in the Rolla area of Sharjah)
MUSIC
Love in songs through time Vanit Sethi picks 14 songs in English and Hindi that will set the perfect mood for Valentine’s Day
I
admit I have a weakness for making lists, though the task is inherently painful. When it comes to movies and music, I cannot resist the temptation of scanning through the pages of history. There is no end to your agony and ecstasy if you want to list out just seven songs each in English and Hindi (one from each decade since the 1940s) that will set the perfect Valentine’s mood. But the task gives immense joy on completion. So, here is my list of 14 songs in two languages to coincide with 14/2 or February 14, Valentine’s Day.
ENGLISH English popular music has travelled around the world, striking an instant chord with most youngsters. While selecting the love songs, I jogged my memory to see which of those touched my heart the most. It would have been easier to select the pop icons of different decades. The golden era of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s was dominated by Elvis Presley, Beatles and ABBA respectively. But I found I liked the love songs of Jim Reeves, Engelbert and Demis Roussos more. It was easier to pick songs from the 1980s onwards as the choice became narrower. Often, it was gut feeling that marked my choices. All this and Heaven too (Frank
Sinatra, 1940): Sweet to my ears is the song every bluebird sings/ Each rosebud kissed by the dew/ All this is mine and heaven too! Simple and sweet lyrics, just like those of the early 1940s, with a soft and soulful tune. This is the classic Sinatra that my father’s generation loved playing on their gramophones. Sinatra acted in some American movies like From Here to Eternity and The Man with the Golden Arm, apart from several musicals. Honey, won’t you please come home? (Jim Reeves, 1956): A soulful number where the singer longs for his beloved to return home in winter. Choosing a best Jim Reeves number is like choosing the best Shakespeare play – a herculean task. ‘Gentleman Jim’, had an armoury of love songs, each one of them better than the other. But Honey is my personal favourite – reminds me of the heartaches of those crazy teenage years. The Last Waltz (Engelbert Humperdinck, 1967): In a decade when Beatles ruled the music charts, Engelbert
carved his own niche of diehard followers. The Last Waltz - one of his earliest numbers – remains among his best. Born as Arnold George Dorsey in India, he adopted the name of a famous German opera composer. Some of his other evergreen mumbers are Place in the Sun, Release Me, and Quando Quando Quando. But The Last Waltz has the last word. You’re my only fascination (Demis Roussos, 1974): How can you not be
swept over by lyrics like The words you say in your own way can fill my heart with sunshine/You’re more than spring, the joy you bring is laughter for every day? The music transports you to another world. You cannot help falling in love with the idea of love. Roussos was born in Egypt to ethnic Greek parents. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 27
on Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics (Music: Naushad), little-known actor Suresh pairs with screen legend Madhubala – Bollywood’s most beautiful actress to date – when she was just 16. The song is among the best from the vintage 40s. Pyaar hua, iqraar hua (Shree 420, 1955): One of the earliest rain songs in Hindi movies, pyaar hua, picturised on Raj Kapoor and Nargis, is a sensuous song
They moved to Greece after the Suez crisis. All his numbers have the classic Greek touch – love at its sublimest. I just called to say... (Stevie Wonder, 1984): Blind from birth, this Afro-
American singer has been performing since the age of 11, winning 22 Grammy awards. His most creative period was in the mid-eighties when he recorded his three biggest hits - I just called, Part-time Lover, and That’s what friends are for - in three consecutive years. I just called was also adapted in Hindi as the title song of the 1989 hit Maine Pyaar Kiya. My heart goes shala lala! (Vengaboys,
1999): A Eurodance pop group based in the Netherlands, Vengaboys have a distinctive Latino-Spanish touch. Their two other superhit numbers are Brazil and We’re going to Ibiza. With catchy beats, their numbers are instant hits with the young party crowd. They have sold an estimated 15 million records worldwide. This year, they promise to come out with their merriest song. Love Bug (Jonas Brothers, 2008): With a 60s-70s feel in the first part of the song, it creates an effective mood 28 l UAE Digest, February 2010
for nostalgia, before coming back with a bang to the present times through loud orchestration. The pop-rock band, consisting of three brothers, gained its popularity from Disney Channel. The lyrics of Love Bug are uncomplicated: Now I’m speechless, over the edge I’m just breathless/I never thought that I’ d catch this Love Bug again.
HINDI Hindi film music has travelled beyond its borders to Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa. Of late, the western world too has woken up to the magic. There is no field of life that Hindi songs have not covered, but the most popular have been love and romance. Bollywood has produced immortal pairs in different decades, and their most romantic movies are easy to identify. Love songs from these films have taken me on a fascinating nostalgia trip, as they must have to thousands of other Bollywood lovers. Suhani raat dhal chuki (Dulari, 1949): This melodious number, where the lover pines for his beloved, was a precursor to the golden era of Indian film music. Sung by the evergreen playback singer Mohammed Rafi
that sizzles on screen while retaining its innocence. Walking under one umbrella in the rain-soaked streets of a studio-set Bombay, this song set a million young hearts aflutter in the golden 50s. The picturisation of this duet (sung by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar) ranks as an icon of romance in Bollywood. Din dhal jaaye (Guide, 1965): A world-weary Raju (Dev Anand) invites his friend to his house for a drink on a thundery evening and impusively breaks out into a sad song while resting his
arms on a staircase. His estranged wife Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) descends the steps in her flowing white night gown and sits on the other side, their
fingers making contact. It’s one of the most subdued romantic scenes in Bollywood from an evergreen film, adapted from RK Narayan’s novel of the same name. Dev Anand’s inimitable style combined with Waheeda’s exquisite beauty makes this song, on Rafi’s voice and SD’s music, simply unbeatable. Chingaari (Amar Prem, 1971): Cruising down the Hooghly in Calcutta
on a boat, Anand Babu (Rajesh Khanna), in a state of intoxication, sings this song to his beloved Pushpa (Sharmila Tagore), a courtesan. While the film is about the decadence in human values and relationships, the song - sung by Kishore Kumar on RD’s music - is pure passion, apt for listening on a wonderfully wet day. The lyrics by Anand Bakshi are way above the ordinary: Chingaari koi bhadke to saawan use bujhaye, saawan jo agan lagaye use kaun bujhaye? (If a spark flares up, the rain will douse it, but if the rain lights a fire, who can put it out?)
Dekha ek khwaab (Silsila, 1981): Picturised amidst the tulip gardens of Holland in a dream sequence between Amitabh and Rekha on whose affair this Yash Chopra movie was based, starring ‘real-life’ actors (Amitabh, wife Jaya and beloved Rekha), this KishoreLata song mentally transports you to a dreamland. While the AmitabhRekha chemistry sets the screen on fire, the lyrics by Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan (Amitabh’s father, a renowned Hindi poet) and Javed Akhtar are among the finest in Hindi cinema. Yeh haseen wadiyan (Roja, 1992): As Rishi Kumar (Aravind Swamy) removes the blindfold from his wife Roja’s (Madhoo) eyes, she is transfixed by the snow-covered wonderland of Kashmir. The music rises to a crescendo as she keeps moving her sight higher along the peaks, reaching its climax at the top. AR Rahman’s composition is amazing (‘Roja’ means ‘the rose’).
Rahman won the Oscars and Grammys for Jai Ho in Slumdog Millionaire, but Indian listeners know that Roja (dubbed from Tamil into four languages,
including Hindi) was Rahman’s first and best composition to date. Piyu bole... (Parineeta, 2005): Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) and Lolita (Vidya Balan) attempt to compose a tune on the piano in Shekhar’s house. The song begins inside a room, moves to a windswept monsoon night outside a church, onto a boat swaying unsteadily with the winds on the Hooghly. The movie is based on Bengali writer Sharat Chandra Chatterjee’s novel of the same name (meaning ‘married woman’). Set in the mid-1960s – a period of social turmoil as well as intense intellectual and creative activity in Calcutta - a poignant love story plays out between Shekhar and Lolita, with a third angle introduced by Girish (Sanjay Dutt). All songs by Shantanu Moitra are great, but Piyu bole (Sonu Nigam-Shreya Ghoshal) is right on top. Phew! That was exhausting, but immensely satisfying. Making lists is a tricky task indeed. Choosing a year’s ten best songs is itself not very easy; choosing just one for every year is highly difficult; but one for every decade is heart-breaking. How can one exclude some of the most beautiful songs, especially those from the golden era? Incidentally, isn’t it interesting that the golden era of both languages ran for three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s? Undoubtedly, there are many other lovely songs in both languages that have been left out of this list. But I believe these songs represent the finest of each decade, and I’m sure you would love to download them on your iPod. Happy listening!
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 29
HANDWRITING
Signature detective The way you sign speaks a lot about you, says acrophonologist VJ Dhyani By Manju Ramanan
A
re you obsessed with the way you sign your name? Do you dot your i’s and j’s. Do you underline your signature? Are you fond of doodling with the letters, or do you prefer a clear style that is non-messy and direct? Whatever is your signature style, it speaks a lot about you, and according to acrophonologist VJ Dhyani, can be a blueprint of the processes of your mind that cannot be manipulated. A regular columnist with a popular magazine, articles in a number of newspapers and several predictions on radio and television, Dhyani started out in a small way in the city of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India, where he was a textile consultant but had a great passion for studying signatures. “I had a natural inclination towards studying signatures, and over the years,
30 l UAE Digest, February 2010
Vrajkishore J Dhyani
perfected the art,” he states. Till date, he has studied over 50,000 signatures, a number that is on a steady increase. Dhyani has been studying signatures from the age of 24, and today at 62, he finds his passion undwindling. “Signature is the cardiogram of the mind and can attract both positive and negative energies towards your life. Every letter that you use, be it tall, short, compressed or expanded, signifies your various traits and if they have been crossed, dotted, looped or curved, they provide deeper insights into your personality,” he states. Handwriting reading is explained in great detail in the ancient Indian text of the Bhrugusamhita under the eight mahavidyas (areas of great knowledge) that include Anka shashtra (numerology),
Swara shastra ( science of the voice), Anga shashtra ( science of the body), Naadi shashtra (science of the pulse), Deshkal Vidya ( science of countries), Ayurveda, Vyanjan Vidya ( science of culinary art) and Vastu Shashtra ( Feng Shui). All of these and more were part of his formative years because his father was a face reader, voice quality analyser and astrologer. “My father was a school teacher, but he could study faces really well. He would predict what people would say before or in mid-conversation,” he states. As a child, Dhyani remembers making fun of his father’s unique gift at predicting what people had in mind just by looking at them, and his father had said that the gift would eventually come to him. It was a meeting with India’s well known astrologer BV Raman that changed Dhyani’s life. Raman became his guru and guided him towards his chosen path. “I realised that this is my destiny,” adds Dhyani. “Raman told me that my career would take off at a later stage of my life in a foreign country. It turned out to be very true. Though I wanted to start signature reading as a profession early in my career, it was not until I was 54, that I could do it commercially. In fact, I hadn’t visited a foreign country till I was 54. This art has taken me to different countries of the world, including UAE. Dubai has been very supportive of my endeavours,” he states. Dhyani comes to Dubai every alternate month and gets a lot of local clientele as well as expatriates from all over the world. “In Dubai, I have seen signatures of a whole range of people. A majority of the Indians I have seen are dealing with marital problems and through slight modifications in their signatures, they have achieved compatibility,” he claims. A strong believer in keeping marriages together, he never entertains a client who is seeking his help for an affair outside marriage. Dhyani
has also been a handwriting consultant to several real estate operators who want to now hire the right kind of people for a business that is seeing a downturn. “It is a simple thing to do. By altering your signature, you can alter your life,” he states. According to Dhyani, acrophonology is an ancient science of name analysis using letter qualities. The movement of sound (phono) across space (acro) correlates every letter in the alphabet with a planet, and so you can understand how it influences you. As part of signature analysis, Dhyani studies a signature by looking at the angles of each letter, then draws an axis of each letter in relation to the centre of each word - this is called an astrocope. Each letter is then studied at depth in what is called an astroscan and when the diagram is complete, it shows the magnetic field of a person, and the astroview gives information about the person’s complete life. Dhyani has studied signatures of many celebrities as well as CEOs and finds them fascinating. “While their signatures cannot be covered under a single umbrella, many signatures have some traits of leadership, initiative, acumen and team work,” he states. Looking at the signature of billionaire Vijay Mallya who owns Kingfisher Airlines as well as United Breweries, Dhyani finds in it a chain of cognitive desires without an end. “Though he is over–committed and extravagant in expenses, he remains on top of the world with his luxurious empire. He has a clear and generous heart and is a king of his world,” he states. For NR Narayana Murthy, Chairman of Infosys, Dhyani states that he is over ambitious and endowed with a fighting spirit and is critical about criticism coming his way. “His signature
has an artistic, picturesque appeal and different from the common ones. He is self-styled and does work in spheres that are difficult for people to imagine.” Dhyani’s art appeals to most people. Who wouldn’t want to know about oneself? “I have had people from the age groups of 14-98 asking me to read their signatures,” he states. And what did he tell the 98-yearold about his life. “I couldn’t tell him that he was going to die, instead we soften the statement stating that he will see three more generations in his lifetime. A wise person knows that is not possible,” he adds.
Negatives in signatures include
• • • • • • •
Ballooning Cutting the alphabets Dots under the lines Gaps Overlaps Over bending Confusion Is there a correct signature? A good signature is proportionate The first letter should be prominent and tower over the other letters Letters should be uncomplicated
Practical Problems While it is impossible for us to change our sign completely because a lot is to with our signatures on important documents, including passports, bank cheque books, etc, Dhyani suggests that we carry a sample of our modified signatures with us always and keep signing as usual. The effects of our positive signature that we carry with us will nullify the harmful effects of our original one.
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 31
WRITERS
Battle of the books Following the phenomenal success of last year’s Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature, this year’s event in March promises to be bigger and better, whetting the appetites of UAE’s bibliophiles By Vanit Sethi
“A
nyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.”
32 l UAE Digest, February 2010
It’s so very true! For while reading books, one can live several lives one after another. Books transport you to worlds far beyond your own; let you visit
countries you would never otherwise visit; let you meet people you would not have the chance to meet in your lifetime; and let you experience thoughts, feelings, actions and events without as much as venturing out of your cosy bed. Often, you would want to meet people who have written those masterpieces that filled your childhood with wonder, youth with romance and adult life with understanding. Much of the time, it would be difficult to meet even a couple of them because they live far from you. But in Dubai, we’re lucky. Not only will we get to see four score of them right here, but also talk to them and get their books autographed. Last year, a new world opened up in Dubai towards the end of February, with the first Emirates Airline International Festival
of Literature, which saw more than 60 authors from across the globe entertain, enlighten and enthuse us with the sheer power of their words. The very first edition of the festival turned out to be a grand success with more than 20,000 people attending the three-day event. It showed there was a thirst for international literature in this country lying untapped all these years. The 2009 EAIFL unlocked the floodgates of intellectual interaction, with the result that this year the event threatens to storm Dubai Festival City with an army of 81 authors marching in from all corners of the globe to drown you in their inspired insights and interesting ideas. So, what exactly does the 2nd EAIFL have in store for us this spring? More than 80 authors will be taking part in the main programme. Across 65 events, they will be discussing their work, debating the issues, and occasionally treating us to a demonstration of their craft. As well as talks on the arts of prose, poetry and illustration, the festival will also see musical performances and live cooking classes. The programme - running from March 10 to 13 - will feature an international cast of authors coming from across Africa, America, Asia and Europe to join with a strong core of Arabic writers. In the spirit of cultural exchange, the live simultaneous translation that was such a success in 2009 will return, to allow festival-goers the opportunity to appreciate all events. Among the fiction authors confirmed for participation are Martin Amis, Mark Billingham, Chris Cleave, Isabel Fonseca, James Meek, Alexander
McCall Smith, Jeffrey Deaver, RJ Ellory, Vikas Swarup and Yann Martel. Non-Fiction writers attending include Tim Butcher, Robert Greene, William Dalrymple and Margaret Macmillan. Writers from the across the Arab world, such as Bahaa Taher, Youssef Ziedan, Leila Abouleila, Raja Shehadeh and Fadil Al Azzawi, will be joining their Emirati counterparts including Maryam Al Saedi, Sara Al Jarawan, Maha Gargash and Nujoom Al Ghanem. Writers and illustrators of children’s and young adult fiction too will be attending in force, with appearances by Jacqueline Wilson, Garth Nix, Darren Shan, Michelle Paver, Korky Paul and Tony Ross. Other events: This year, a new, innovative strand of events will run alongside the main festival, featuring guest appearances by some major authors. Five days of workshops from March 10-14, will be held at a separate venue, covering topics ranging from creative writing, the art of storytelling, illustrating children’s books, presentation skills, drama and translation from
english to arabic and vice versa. In addition, there will be a number of workshops designed specifically for children to cover creative writing, script writing and the art of storytelling, running from March 11 to 13. Education Day last year saw more than 50 authors visit 60 Dubai schools. This year, a series of Education Day events will be hosted by the festival authors at the Dubai Scientific and Cultural Association, Al Mamzar, on March 10, 11 and 14, to which schools from all over the UAE will be invited to attend. The free Fringe Festival starring local schools, colleges and community groups will return this year with readings, singing and drama performances. This main venue for this year’s events is a dedicated room inside the Intercontinental Hotel, DFC, the venue for the main conference. Fringe events will run in the afternoon and evening of March 11 and all day on March 12 and 13. Fringe participants will also mark the official opening of the festival on March 10 by joining in a parade. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 33
The dazzling dozen Given that it would be impossible to attend all the author sessions, as at least three to four would be speaking simultaneously in different halls at the Intercontinental, it would be wise to have a shortlist that includes authors from various regions. I’ve shortlisted 12 authors (with
their best works) from three broad regions – the Western World, Gulf and Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent (four from each region). However, this is not meant to exclude 69 other brilliant writers, whose details can be accessed at www.emirateslitfest.com. This list, therefore, is a purely personal one of convenience.
THE WESTERN WORLD Isabel Fonseca Fonseca studied in Columbia and Oxford. She writes for many newspapers and magazines like The Independent, Vogue, The Nation, and The Wall Street Journal. For four years, she has lived with the gypsies from Albany to Poland. Currently, she lives in London with her husband Martin Amis and their two daughters.
Attachment: Her first novel, published in 2008, is a bold and thoughtful fictional debut that reaches from the Indian Ocean to London and New York, and into the most confounding precincts of the human heart. Jean Hubbard is a syndicated health columnist and her husband Mark, a successful advertising executive. After more than 20 years together, they revel in a sabbatical on a remote tropical island. But when Jean opens an erotically charged email intended for Mark, she realises she has misdiagnosed some acute pathologies in her own life. The long idyll is over, but a more vivid and compelling quest has just begun.
Kate Mosse The author of two non-fiction books, one play and five novels, including the multi-million selling international No. 1 bestseller, Labyrinth. Her short stories have appeared in a range of collections. A guest presenter in BBC Radio 4, she is also a book reviewer for BBC Breakfast News. The Co-Founder & Honorary Director of the Orange Prize for Fiction, she was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of Chichester in 1996.
Labyrinth: Translated into 37 languages and published in 40 countries, it won the 2006 British Book Award and was chosen as one of Waterstone’s Top 100 novels of the past 25 years. In this extraordinary thriller, rich in the atmospheres of medieval and contemporary France, the lives of two women born centuries apart are linked by a common destiny. Martin Amis Born in Oxford in 1949, Martin is the son of writer Kingsley Amis. Educated in schools in Britain, Spain and US, he graduated from Exeter College, Oxford, with First Class Honours in English. His first novel, The Rachel Papers (1973) won a Somerset Maugham Award in 1974. His latest books are House of Meetings (2006), and The Second Plane (2008), comprising essays, short stories and a novella. He is a regular contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and journals. He was awarded an honorary LittD by the University of East Anglia (2000), and he became Professor of Creative Writing at Manchester University in 2007.
Experience: The memoir is largely about his relationship with his father, Kingsley Amis, though he also writes of being reunited with long-lost daughter, Delilah Seale, the product of an affair in the 1970s, whom he did not see until she was 19. The book was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography. 34 l UAE Digest, February 2010
William Dalrymple Born in Scotland, he wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was just 22. Dalrymple is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Asiatic Society. His Radio 4 series on the history of British spirituality and mysticism. The Long Search, won the 2002 Sandford St. Martin Prize for Religious Broadcasting. He is married to the artist Olivia Fraser, with three children, dividing their time between London, Scotland and Delhi.
White Mughals: Dalrymple’s fifth book is social history, covering the warm relations between the British and some Indians in the 18th and early 19th century, when one of the British men in India’s Hyderabad state was married to an Indian Muslim woman. Winner of the Wolfson Prize for History (2003), and the Scottish Book of the Year Prize.
GULF & MIDDLE EAST Abdo Khal Born in 1962 in Saudi Arabia, and currently based in Jeddah, Khal is well-known in the Arab world among writers experimenting with new forms and ideas. He has written a number of novels as well as several collections of short stories.
She Throws Sparks: His latest book has been shortlisted for the 2010 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. A painfully satirical novel, it depicts the destructive impact power and limitless wealth has on life and environment. It captures the seductive powers of the palace and tells the agonising story of those who have become enslaved by it, drawn by its promise of glamour.
Leila Aboulela Born in 1964, Leila grew up in Khartoum, graduating from the University of Khartoum, and later studying for MSc and MPhil in Statistics at the London School of Economics. In 1990, she moved with her husband and children to Aberdeen where she started writing. Her two novels The Translator (1999) and Minaret (2005) were both longlisted for the Orange and the Impac prizes. Her collection of short stories, Coloured Lights (2001) was shortlisted for the PEN/ MacMillan Silver Pen Award. BBC Radio has adapted her work extensively and broadcast a number of her plays. Her work has been translated into 12 languages. She lives in Abu Dhabi and is working on her third novel.
The Translator: The Translator was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. It is a sensitive portrayal of love and faith. Sammar, a Sudanese widow, lives in Scotland and works as an Arabic translator at a university in Aberdeen. Having lost her muchloved husband in a car accident, Sammar has completely abandoned herself to grief. It is not until she begins working for Rae, an agnostic Scottish Islamic scholar, that Sammar begins to imagine a happier ending to her story. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 35
Nujoom Al Ghanem Nujoom is an Emirati poet, born in Dubai in 1962. She holds a BA in Television Production from Ohio University (1996) and a Master’s degree in Cinema Direction from Griffith University (1999). She started writing poetry in the late 1970s, but did not publish until the early 1980s in local newspapers. She has published six collections of poetry.
Paradise Evening: The first collection of poems was Paradise Evening (1989). Hers is an experience that mixes the culture of the East with that of the West in a unique and unparalleled way of accepting the other as part of one’s own making. Turki Al Hamad A Saudi-Arabian political analyst, journalist and novelist, best known for his trilogy about the coming-of-age of a Saudi Arabian teenager. Although banned in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, the Arabic edition of the trilogy has sold 20,000 copies. He was born in Jordan to a family of merchants that originated from Saudi Arabia. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, later returning to Riyadh to teach political science. He retired in 1995 to take up writing full-time.
The Winds of Paradise: His latest novel, about the 9/11 attacks, was published in Arabic in 2005. It has been described as a “thinly disguised sketch of the lives of four hijackers.” He has elsewhere called 9/11 the “consequence of a chronic disease in the Arab psyche a culture of illusion.”
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT Amit Chaudhuri Born in Calcutta in 1962, Chaudhuri grew up in Bombay, read English at University College, London, and completed his doctorate on critical theory and the poetry of D.H. Lawrence. Now, Professor in Contemporary Literature at the University of East Anglia, his criticism and fiction have appeared regularly in most major journals. He has written five novels, for most of which he has won various awards. His most recent novel is The Immortals (2009).
A New World: This book won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002, India’s highest literary honour for a single book. It tells the story of Jayojit Chatterjee, an economist, writer and university lecturer, who travels back from the US to his native India with his son, Vikram. They are to stay for four months to take advantage of the custody settlement following Jayojit’s divorce. As father and son re-establish themselves in the city during the summer, we get a sense of the returning migrants’ disorientation within a landscape that is both familiar yet strange. 36 l UAE Digest,February 2010
Imtiaz Dharker Dharker describes herself as a Scottish Muslim Calvinist, having been born in Pakistan and raised in a Lahori household in Glasgow. She has spent most of her adult life in Mumbai, dividing her time between Mumbai and London. Besides being one of India’s most distinguished poets, she is also a documentary film-maker and an artist, having shown solo exhibitions in the UK, India and Hong Kong. She is the author of five poetry collections, all of which also include her own drawings.
Leaving Fingerprints: A book of poems and drawings that presents themes, which are drawn from a life of transitions - childhood, exile, journeying, home, displacement, religious strife and terror.
Shobhaa Dé An eminent Indian novelist, often known as India’s Jackie Collins. Born in 1947, she studied psychology at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. A model first, she then pursued a career in journalism and became the editor of gossip magazines Stardust and Society. A prolific and popular writer, her novels include Sultry Days (2006) and Bollywood Nights (2007). Most of her journalistic writing focuses on different aspects of urban India, and she has also written scripts for various TV soaps. Currently a columnist, writing for the magazine The Week, she contributes edgy observations on politics and society.
Superstar India: An exploration of contemporary and historical India, the novel, published in 2009, is a story about “a place that is impossible and demanding, exasperating and annoying, but equally enchanting and alluring, captivating and quixotic.” Vikas Swarup Vikas Swarup was born in Allahabad (India) in a family of lawyers. After his schooling, he attended Allahabad University. Graduating with distinction, he joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986. In his diplomatic career, he has been posted to various countries such as Turkey, US, Ethiopia, UK, and South Africa. Since August 2009, he is posted as Consul-General of India in Japan. He has written two novels, some short stories and film scripts.
Q&A: His first novel has sold translation rights in 42 languages, and has won several awards around the world. Set in modern India, Q&A is a beguiling blend of high comedy and touching melancholy. Cutting across humanity in all its squalor and glory, Swarup presents a kaleidoscopic vision of the struggle of good against evil, and what happens when one boy has no other choice in life but to survive. The film version, Slumdog Millionaire, has taken the world by storm, winning more than 70 awards. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 37
BOATS
10 things for new boat owners to consider By Erwin Bamps, Chief Operating Officer, Gulf Craft 1. Understand the purpose When selecting a new boat, it is of vital importance to consider the reasons for the actual boat purchase; assess your key priorities to ensure you get an effective return on investment, before doing anything, let alone handing over your credit card. Prospective boat owners need to fully analyse what the purpose of their new boat is. Some first-time buyers may initially think of purchasing a huge yacht when all they really want to do is simply go fishing. In other instances, the purpose of a purchase could be to charter a large group of guests on an overnight trip, which would have a significant bearing on both the model and size of the yacht.
2. Consider all potential feature options Yachts today include a diverse array of features which should be fully considered prior to the stage of purchase. If for example, a boat owner intends to use a boat during the hot summer months, installing air conditioning is an imperative feature to ensure comfortable trips overnight.
3. Boat mooring facility Prospective boat owners tend to overlook this crucial factor. Securing a parking and mooring facility is often an expensive and challenging affair. It is always advised that customers fully investigate how feasible it is to secure an affordable parking space, before proceeding with buying their dream boat.
4. Vendor – Resale value Select a vendor that can offer and assure 38 l UAE Digest, February 2010
a better resale value. Resale value is an important factor which essentially determines the quality of the boat as well as the reliability of the boat builder.
5. Spare parts When you buy a boat, make sure you will be able to easily purchase spare parts when they are needed. The majority of boat owners tend to prefer to personalise their yacht through feature modifications and upgrades. If you are keen to add that personal touch, it would be wise to select a boat builder that offers on the ground support in terms of enhancement, upgrading, overhauling and servicing, etc.
Erwin Bamps
6. Trade-in policy Boating enthusiasts throughout the Middle East are renowned for their prerequisite to own the latest high-end yacht models, hence their love for regular upgrades can be facilitated by the popular trade-in policies which are available with select boat builders. Choose a manufacturer that has an active trade-in policy offering a fair value on an old boat in exchange for a higher end/new model.
7. International standards The boating industry is not internationally monitored by a certified institution. Certification agencies do exist in the industry. However; these are selfregulatory and not mandatory for registration purposes. Customers should ensure they only buy boats from builders
More berths required to keep up with the demand for boats who manufacture according to recognised international standards, to ensure utmost safety. Numerous internationally renowned intuitions exist to certify boat builders, including: Bureau Veritas in France, RINA (Registro Italiano Navale) in Italy, ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) in USA, DNV (Det Norske Veritas) in Norway.
8. Financing One should not assume that all financial institutions would be ready and willing to finance boats. It should come as no surprise that a boat that isn’t seaworthy would
Gulf Craft Majesty 101
not be financed. Boat builders are selected and approved, based on the resale value of the product they are financing. A good indicator for a potential customer checking quality and reliability in a builder, is to determine which boat builder products are easily financed by financial institutions.
9. Warranty This is without a doubt, the single most important factor to consider in the boat buying arena. If one thinks logically, a boat is made to live in the hostile environment of the sea which, depending on the severity of the weather, can create catastrophic conditions. Customers need to carry out comprehensive research on a prospective boat builder’s reputation relating to warranty issues. Every boat builder offers a warranty. However the key to rating a boat builder’s warranty scheme is to double-check what the warranty actually includes, yet most importantly the length and geographical coverage of the warranty. For instance, if a boat experiences a technical fault while on a trip on Romania waters, will your local boat owner fly a skilled technician to Romania from Dubai to repair and rectify the technical fault? If the answer
is “yes”, then you’ve found a good quality warranty. Depending on the size of the boat, an average warranty period of between three to five years is considered good.
10. Talk to people For any new boat owner, one of the best options is to speak with existing boat owners as they will ultimately be the best resource to offering insights on design, features and technical features for a new boat. Existing boat owners will often have extensive experience on a wide variety of potential boat issues. It is therefore strongly recommended that you cover all the above factors and secure a third opinion before coming to any final decision!
Messing about on the water Dubai International Boat Show has an impressive list of top marine companies from around the world showcasing their latest boats and equipment, with 11 global premieres and at least 25 regional launches to be unveiled in March Next month’s Dubai International Boat Show will see many global premieres and regional launches of vessels among the large gathering of leisure boats, equipment and associated services. For local manufacturers
and dealers, DIBS 2010 will be the focal point of the business year, giving each company the opportunity to showcase their fleet of boats, equipment and products. “Increasingly, residents and commercial organisations are looking at ways to enjoy boating and marine related activities on the region’s warm waters,” said Saeed Al Hareb, Managing Director of Dubai International Marine Club, once again the venue for this successful show. Among the many global launches, Gulf Craft will unveil its updated edition of the Majesty 63 and Majesty 101, while attendees will also be able to see the two latest models from IMG Boats, a 47-metre yacht by Al Sayer Yachts, and three new world launches from Emirates Boats (the EB37 Sport Fishing, EB52 Sport Fishing with Cabin and the EB48 Interceptor). “Gulf Craft will be launching the Majesty 63 and the 101 with a complete revamp and fit-out at the show, but we will also be bringing lots of 2010 updates for the fleet,” said Erwin Bamps, Chief Operating Officer, Gulf Craft. “We are committed to displaying better quality and improved features, without increasing the price; we have also added to our after sales team this year. We want to add a UAE Digest, February 2010 l 39
better value proposition to clients and we are dedicated to the Middle East region.” ”The Dubai International Boat Show remains an important platform for us to launch new products because of its significance as a major international event in the yearly boat show calendar,” he added. For regional launches, ART Marine will be unveiling to the Middle East four of its latest yachts, including the Azimut 82 and Azimut 100, while Aquaspeed Boats will be showcasing the latest edition of Regal Boats for the very first time to the Arab market, and Westport are unveiling the new Westport 112 to the show. Confirmed local and international companies include Al Hareb Marine, ART Marine, Danish Yachts, Gulf Craft, Sunseeker Middle East, Trinity Yachts and Westport Yachts, to name a few. This year’s show will feature seven key areas, which include Dive Middle East Exhibition (DMEX), the Superyacht Pavilion, Luxury Supplies and Services area (LSS), Equipment Supplies and Westport 112
40 l UAE Digest, February 2010
Services area (ESS), Marina Display area, External area, and a new dedicated Superyacht Boulevard, located within the marina display area, exclusive to superyachts of 25 metres and above. Exhibitors specialising in products essential to the supply and servicing of the leisure marine industry will be located at the Equipment Supplies and Services area (ESS), which include Al Boom Marine, Al Masaood Marine, AMIT, and Exalto, offering next-generation innovations in every product division, from fixtures and fittings through to the latest hi-tech communication and navigation equipment. The ESS area also includes a dedicated National Pavilions area with confirmed participation from Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX), Enterprise Florida, Italian Trade Commission (ICE) and UBI France, among many others. The Luxury Supplies and Services area (LSS) will house the finest names in superyacht and luxury boat builders,
as well as a number of waterfront developers, service and product suppliers, and charter and brokerage firms. Also located within the LSS area is the Superyacht Pavillion, where the world’s leading superyacht builders and shipyards, including Danish Yachts, Platinum Yachts, Trinity Yachts and Westport are to showcase their latest designs and models. Additional features include a luxury retail plaza, exclusive corporate hospitality, dedicated VIP areas and a host of watchmakers, jewellers and fashion boutiques targeting the affluent attendees expected. Dubai International Boat Show, takes place from 9 – 13 March 2010 at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), and is open to trade visitors and the general public, from 3pm – 9pm daily. Admission is Dh55 per person for all attendees without an invitation. Children under 12 will be admitted free and must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Access to the Marina Display Area may be restricted at certain times.
FOOD
Epicurean season Masterchefs with a total of 17 Michelin stars will grace Gourmet Abu Dhabi 2010
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and freshest ingredients, such as naturally ourmet Abu Dhabi 2010 seduced by the Thai spread she prepared, raised meat and line caught seafood to culinary festival will run in he changed his plans and spent months craft his cuisine has definitely paid off. the UAE capital from 5-19 under the apprenticeship of this old master. His namesake restaurant in Chicago February and has attracted London restaurant Nahm, under his has been ranked among the world’s top the ‘Who’s Who’ of the gastronomic guidance of traditional preparation and 50 restaurants. He is also an AAA Five world. Organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism authentic fare, is the first Thai restaurant Diamond award recipient, as well as a 10Authority (ADTA) the festival this year, in Europe to be awarded a Michelin Star. time James Beard Foundation honouree. will have a strong assembly of master Joe Barza, the pioneer of Lebanese Coming from a family of chefs, chefs that reads like a ‘who’s who’ list fusion cuisine is a shining star in the Mehmet Gök was destined for culinary of international gastronomic greats. Lebanese culinary world. Ever since greatness. Mehmet honed his craft Each with their own unique culinary graduating from the Hotel School of Arts working at Four Seasons Hotels in the tale to tell, the chefs will be conducting in Lebanon, Joe swam against the tide Caribbean, London, and Cairo, emerging culinary master classes as well as preparing to put his country on the world gourmet at the helm of the Four Seasons Hotel special themed luncheons and dinners, map, and become an internationally Istanbul at Sultanahmet, becoming the showcasing their cooking prowess. renowned chef winning numerous local only local Executive Chef in the city. Special themed dinners will take in more and a string of international awards. venues than ever, including some of the Without any formal culinary latest and most exciting restaurants such as training, completely self- taught, Charlie Presenting the skilled the five-star Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Crowne Trotter’s successful empire is built on a Pâtissiers… Plaza Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and The Yas Hotel, overlooking the Yas Marina Circuit Dubbed by Vogue as the ‘Picasso – home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. of Pastry’, darling of the Luminaries Parisian pâtisserie circuit Pierre include Italian Herme has revolutionalised Chef Andrea pastry making with regard Berton trained to taste and modernity. His under famous creativity, technical mastery teachers - chefs and taste for sharing his Gualtiero expertise in Haute Pâtisserie, Joe Barza, the pioneer of Mehmet Gök, continuing a has won him the respect and Marchesi, Alain Lebanese fusion cuisine family legacy Ducasse and Carlo esteem of the entire profession. Cracco. So, it is Working with the seasons, his not surprising colourful creations, available at that his restaurant Pierre Hermé Paris boutiques Trussardi Alla from Paris to the United States Scala in Milan and Japan are an absolute delight. Italian Chef Andrea Berton won the Best Highly acclaimed chocolatier New Restaurant accolade from the Italian and pâtissier Frédéric Bau, is Restaurants Guide by L’Espresso and the venerable head pastry chef Frédéric Bau, head pastry chef and Self- taught Charlie director of L’Ecole de Valrhona received two Michelin stars within a mere and Director of L’Ecole de Trotter three years of its 2006 opening.Thai food Valrhona. His international aficionado David Thompson, an Australian level prestige comes as a result foundation of sheer determination, chef, restaurateur and cookery writer met of his innovative nature and creativity unrelenting perseverance and pure an elderly matriarch in Bangkok who applied to experimenting all possible passion and love for the culinary arts. cooked for the Royal Family. Completely combinations of flavours and textures. His philosophy of using only the finest UAE Digest, February 2010 l 41
FOOD
How to cook like a TV chef
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he sauteed John Dory with fennel confit you had at that fancy restaurant may have been fabulous, but you think you could never recreate it at home, right? While cooking may be an art, it’s not magic. With a few tips, the right tools and a few ‘insider’ techniques, you can cook like the celebrity chefs you see on TV. A fan favourite from Bravo’s ‘Top Chef: Chicago’ chef and restaurateur Richard Blais is known for his global ingredients and modern cooking methods. He offers his tips, tricks and must-have ingredients for at-home cooks to prep like the pros:
Get organised and keep a clean kitchen A great shelving system is an easy way to get your kitchen space organised and make cooking a more enjoyable experience. “Many people don’t like to cook at home because it’s not always easy to find key ingredients and cleanup can be daunting at times,” says Blais. “It’s so important to be organised so you can find the ingredients you need and be meticulous about cleaning as you go - it makes a big difference and you can enjoy your meal even more knowing a sink full of dishes doesn’t await you when you’re done.”
The kindest cut “You get more of a feel for what you’re working on when you’re working off a wooden board versus a plastic or aluminum board,” he says. Use separate cutting boards for meats and produce, and never put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher or into a sink of water. Instead, scrub the surface with all-natural soap and hot water and let it dry completely.
The right appliances Blais says the must-have elements in a well-functioning home kitchen include a handheld immersion blender and 42 l UAE Digest, February 2010
food processor. He recommends the LG gas cooktop, like the one he uses at home. The appliance features high performance and a centre burner offering a powerful 19,000 BTU output (usually only seen in professional-grade cooktops), along with versatility, easy cleaning and a sleek look. It’s one of many built-in appliance options that individuals can choose from based on their cooking style and kitchen layout. He also encourages home chefs to take advantage of the convenience of the microwave, which he believes may be the most underutilised piece in the kitchen. “Warm and reheat tender braises, use it for fruit purees and jams, and rest roasts in it,” adds Blais, noting that some new models now feature a warming lamp to keep dishes hot until mealtime.
Surf and turf Blais goes on to note that high-powered gas cook tops are perfect for searing protein, advising home chefs to always start their meat or seafood by searing in a hot pan to get good browning and finish in a lower temperature oven.
Pantry staples And what items are always on hand in the chef’s pantry and refrigerator? • Seasonal vegetables • Great olive oil • Mild cooking oil • Fresh herbs • Sea salt • Fish sauce • Chili sauce or Sriracha (Thai hot sauce) • Flavoured and balsamic vinegars • Mustard • Mayonnaise
Blais offers his signature ‘Blaised Beef’ recipe and encourages all inspired home cooks to get into the kitchen and start making magic.
Blaised Beef (Serves two) Ingredients: • 1 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed • 1 sprig fresh rosemary • 1 sprig fresh thyme • 2 cloves fresh garlic • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 4 tablespoons butter or bacon fat • Salt and black pepper to taste Instructions: • Dry the filet with paper towels and season aggressively with salt and black pepper. • Heat olive oil in an oven-proof pan and sear the meat. • While browning all sides of the filet, add herbs, garlic and butter or salty lard. • Baste the filet with the butter/oil mixture until all sides are browned. • Place pan in a 325 F oven and cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 135 F. • Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. • Serve with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
FOOD
Look at your bill! The ball is in the consumer’s court, literally. Now that the government has stated that illegal service charges by non tourist restaurants are penable, it is up to us, the consumer, to decide how alert he can be
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or many of us, blindly signing on the dotted line after a hearty meal, not bothering to check whether there is add on service charge, the move by the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection comes as a welcome sign. The Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection has made sure that errant restaurants charging 5- 20 per cent illegal service charges are brought to book. The move comes after HE Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, headed the fourth meeting of the Committee for 2009 in Dubai, and discussed measures to manage food prices. The Committee has warned restaurants against the illegal service charges, which is against the consumer protection law number 26 for year 2006. An exception to the rule are the restaurants that pay local fees and are licensed by the tourist department, such as the ones functioning inside hotels and clubs. As for the others, local departments are forming special team works to inform and stop restaurants from
adding the illegal charge to the bill. For customers, the news couldn’t have been better since it restores confidence in the system. “Not only does it coax us to be alert to spending money, it is a clampdown on illegal service charges by restaurants - a step towards consumer’s rights,” says special educator Deepa Paul. A fact seconded by Harini Sivakumar,an administration manager working in Al Quoz. “The recession has forced us to check on minute details of our spending. Now that we know of this consumer protection law, we can be well equipped to deal with problems, if any,” she says. What is an illegal service charge? According to HE Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shihhi, Director General of the Ministry of Economy,
service charges levied by restaurants that do not pay local department fees are illegal. The service charge ban however does not apply to restaurants licensed by the various tourist authorities, which includes most establishments in hotels and private clubs. Those restaurants can legally levy a 10 per cent service charge, in addition to a tourism tax six per cent of the bill in Abu Dhabi and 10 per cent in Dubai. A fifth of the service charge must go directly to staff. How to be alert? According to Fareed al Zubi, Chief Lawyer of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development’s customers must: • Look at the bill and see if there is a service charge or not. • If there is, ask if the restaurant is a tourist restaurant or not. • If the restaurant is non - tourist restaurant and still demands a fee, file a complaint to the department which will take the necessary action. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 43
HOSPITALITY
Chinese New Year – Year of the Tiger
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which commences on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011.
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he tiger is courageous and a fiery fighter, admired by the ancient Chinese as the sign that keeps away the three main tragedies of a household, i.e. fire, thieves and ghosts. Tiger people are generally well liked because of their charismatic personalities. They are sensitive, given to deep thinking and capable of great sympathy but can be extremely short-tempered. Other people have great respect for tigers, but sometimes they come into conflict with older people or those in authority. Sometimes they cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful. Some Tigers tend to change careers more frequently because they get bored quite easily. They are natural born leaders and perform their best if working towards positions of power and influence. So once there is no further room for progression, they will often move on to something else. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs. You are a Tiger if you were born in 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and 2010. However, the characteristics of the Tiger are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth overlaying a 5-year cycle of characteristics on the original 12-year cycle.
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The metal tiger 1950 and 2010 The Metal element gives the Tiger its sharpness in action and speed of thought. Tigers born in the Metal year like to stand out in a crowd. With an inspiring assertiveness and competitive demeanor, they determine their goals and then do anything necessary to achieve them. This good-looking character sometimes suffers from mood swings and temper tantrums. The Tiger can be known to jump to conclusions or to act too quickly without weighing the options or understanding the consequences. This is a flaw Tigers must learn to curb.
does not demonstrate the typical “take charge” attitude of other Tigers. The Wood element adds stability, giving him warmth of character that draws people in and makes the Tiger a popular person. They are not selfish creatures and will give their time, attention or possessions to anyone in need. These Tigers bring a solid practicality to any problem. They can control their urges to completely take over, letting others do the work. They must be aware of their slightly volatile tempers and short attention spans, and not let those characteristics get the best of them or cause them or their loved ones undue pain.
The water tiger 1902 and 1962
The fire tiger 1926 and 1986
The Water element gives the Tiger a soothing characteristic making this breed a bit more tranquil. Their ability to consider feelings and ideas from other people makes them quite sensible and understanding. They are also born with a great intuitive power, which gives them accurate and excellent judgement. The Tiger is a bit indecisive, a habit of nature born of his routine of watching and waiting before leaping. Sometimes too, Tigers get caught sleeping or daydreaming, prohibiting them from going for the goals they initially set out to accomplish.
Eccentric and dramatic, Fire Tigers are aglow with passion and verve. They are outgoing, expressive and look on the bright side of things. They have the Tiger’s natural ability to lead others and are able to excite others simply with their own gift of enthusiasm. They can be funny and have great senses of humor. Tigers are powerful speakers and have the ability to command and persuade crowds through speech. Their own seemingly endless supply of energy can make them appear a bit dramatic, and it may make them more sensitive to cautious or down-to-earth approaches in others.
The wood tiger 1914 and 1974
The earth tiger 1938 and 1998
The Wood Tiger is more adaptable to working with others and therefore
Earth Tigers are realists and tend not to get caught up by their own enthusiasm
and excitement. They have a stout and sincere sense of responsibility that other Tigers haven’t quite cultivated and are not so easily distracted. These Tigers take life a little easier and have the ability to focus for longer periods of time, which in turn brings them success through continued effort. Earth Tigers must be careful not to take life too seriously and must remember not to lose their senses of humour or to ignore the needs and feelings of others.
Kung Hei Fat Choi !
(Happy Chinese New Year) To celebrate the Chinese New Year, hotels in the UAE have lined up an array of things to do. Visit the various Chinese eateries around town, ranging from low to high prices, and enjoy a multi course meal. From 15th to 21st February the new 4-star Gold SwissBelhotel Dubai in Bur Dubai will celebrate the year of the Tiger at Senses the hotel’s all day dining restaurant each evening for dinner. Special Chinese New Year dishes including Sweet and Sour Fish, Beef in Oyster Sauce, Stir fried Chicken in Schezwan Sauce and Quail and Ginger Exotica to name a few. Special live
cooking stations for Dim Sum and the very popular Peking Duck. Dh110 per person including a glass of Chinese malt/ vintage and unlimited soft drinks, fruit juice or water. The year of the tiger beckons! Celebrate Chinese
New Year at Junsui, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and indulge in an authentic mouth-watering Chinese cuisine. Stay for two nights and enjoy special rates and complimentary benefits at all Jumeirah properties. At Burj Al Arab, enjoy a full buffet breakfast for every day of your stay as well as a Rolls Royce two way transfer for Dh500 more. At Jumeirah Bab Al Shams, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Madinat Jumeirah enjoy a complimentary room upgrade as well as a full buffet breakfast for every day of your stay for Dh100 more. At Jumeirah Emirates Towers, enjoy a complimentary room upgrade as well as a full buffet breakfast for every day of your stay for Dh75 more. At Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residence Dubai, enjoy a full buffet breakfast for every day of your stay for Dh50 more In Abu Dhabi, a host of traditional delicacies and festive set menus celebrate this joyous occasion. From 13th to 28th February, the Executive Chinese Chef at Shang Palace, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi will prepare classic Yee Sang and dim sum to whet your appetite. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 45
HOSPITALITY
Just the two of us! V-day’s here and there’s lot to do
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or those looking to wow and surprise their loved one, Teatro at Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi offers exceptional, once in a life-time opportunity to have your Valentine’s dinner cooked by Spanish star-chef David Munoz who will make his special appearance in the restaurant from 11th till 14th of February within the Gourmet Abu Dhabi 2010 event. Famous in the world of fusion cuisine, David Munoz blends Spanish cooking with Chinese, adding some Japanese, Peruvian, Mexican and Moroccan touches. Specially designed menu; an indulging dining experience not to be missed. Love is in the air as Bord Eau, ShangriLa Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi transforms into a beautiful garden of blooming flowers. Indulge in Chef Jean’s delectable six-course set menu inclusive of two glasses of bubbly. Couples can also immortalise V-Day with a polaroid photo. Price: Dh450++ per couple. Cupid’s arrow is heading east to Fujairah this Valentine’s Day, on target for Le Méridien Al Aqah’s Valentine’s Day package which includes a number of romantic treats priced at Dh1199 per couple. From private massage tents on the beach to spa baths, a welcome drink on arrival, sea-facing rooms that include an in-room spa bath sprinkled with rose petals, plus breakfast and Bucks Fizz in the morning. Valentine’s promotion on for Dh699 (double occupancy) at Coral Residence Tower Fujairah from Feb 11 to Feb 14. Book a night in a
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Deluxe Studio and enjoy a free upgrade to Royal Suite, that includes a bouquet of red roses, heart-shaped cake, free Internet access and entry to Fujairah Tennis and Country Club plus breakfast in bed and complimentary lunch or dinner at Al Nafoora Restaurant. Express your love like the protagonists of Heer Rangha, an old legendary Hindi movie, and spice it up with a mouth watering 5-course set menu and soft romantic music in Zaika, Al Murooj Rotana, Dubai. Dh580* net per couple including two glasses of bubbly. Enjoy an intimate dining experience for two on the 4th hole of the Majlis golf course overlooking a lake with a fountain and the iconic Emirates Golf Club clubhouse. Includes golf cart chauffer service to and from the venue, seven-course gourmet menu including live flambé desserts, a bottle of premium pink bubbly, your own personal butler and a photographic memento of the evening. Price: Dh4,950 Shahrzad restaurant at Hyatt Regency has a spread of Tsars caviar, served in a romantic setting with roses and live
entertainment. Book the private dining room for a true ‘Thousand and One Nights’ experience. Ladies will be presented with roses and a box of fine pralines. On 14 February, couples get a chance to celebrate this romantic day in many of the restaurants in the JW Marriott Dubai and also have an exciting evening by entering for the famous Diamond Hunt competition and the Tango Dance contest at the Town Square with the best couple winning a dinner for two at the JW’s Steakhouse and one lucky couple will win five free tango lessons from the Dubai Tango Club. All aboard the Love Boat for the most romantic experience afloat. Drift up and down the creek with your special one aboard Al Mansour Dhow, part of Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, and discover a unique way to say “I love you”. This delightful buffet dinner cruise is valued at Dh 190 net per person, which includes non-alcoholic welcome cocktails for the couple and complimentary roses and chocolates for ladies. The Address Montgomerie Dubai is where to go for couples looking to escape from the rest of the world in a fairy-tale, secluded, dining area under the stars on a championship golf course, the Montgomerie, with a personal butler, exclusive chef, a bottle of bubbly and violinist, all betwixt a candlelit setting and a night in a cosy hotel suite at The Address. The next day will begin with breakfast in bed, a spa treatment and late check out plus the lady will receive an exquisite surprise gift. Priced at Dh10, 000.
HOSPITALITY
Pubbling, clubbing and other delights With the DSF season on, hospitality and entertainment deals are in full swing
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ooper’s at Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi is known as the ‘Pub of the World’ and has fans from different countries and continents. It is a traditional gastro pub with a main dining area, bar and outdoor terrace. It has great food with weekly specials, wide beverage selection and entertainment by resident DJ. Sports fans can watch live broadcast of major games on four plasma screens. Open daily from 12:00 noon onwards it has a daily Happy Hour extended from noon to midnight. Wednesday is a Ladies Night with unlimited selected vintages for ladies from 8 pm till midnight. Celebrity Chef Richard Sandoval has introduced Mexico’s version of lunch to Dubai, at Maya at Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort and Spa Dubai. Called ‘Playa Buena Vista’ one price provides access to the hotels three pools and beach facilities from 10.00am–6.00pm, with lunch served between 1.00–4.00pm on the Maya terrace. The deal includes Latino rhymes provided by a live DJ and Mariachi band to lighten the atmosphere and transports guests to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta. Royal Jet, the Abu Dhabiheadquartered international luxury and executive flight services company, and Burj Al Arab, the world’s most
luxurious hotel and Jumeirah Group’s flagship, have teamed up to offer a unique travel experience. Available on a limited engagement until 30th April, the package includes private jet travel aboard Royal Jet’s Gulfstream 300 Jet, complete with on-board personalised service, arrival at Royal Jet’s exclusive VIP terminal in Abu Dhabi, transfer to Dubai in one of Burj Al Arab’s chauffeurdriven Rolls Royce Phantoms, and accommodation there. With a minimum two-night stay, the package also includes a complimentary spa treatment at Assawan Spa, complimentary breakfast throughout the stay and a 25 per cent reduction on food and drinks at any of the hotel’s restaurants and lounges. Refresh your body, mind and spirit on 28 February with an evening of yoga beneath the full moon at Madinat Jumeirah’s private beach. The sound of gentle waves complemented by soothing classical music enhances your evening while the yoga guru guides people through various asanas. Can’t decide where to have your weekend brunch? Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City has a twin brunch at star outlets; Certo and Chef ’s House .Try the popular Friday Brunch at Certo and the Saturday Fun Brunch at Chef ’s House.
Ramada Downtown Burj Khalifa offers the best seats in the house overlooking the Dubai Fountain, worldclass water, light and musical spectacle with colour projectors creating a visual spectrum of attractions. As the hotel is very close to an open area where colourful events regularly take place, guests can revel in the Downtown Burj Khalifa’s festive and amiable atmosphere. We have been to the Moon, solved the theory of relativity, but are dealing with one – why are men and women so different? That’s what Mark Little sets out to answer in the Olivier Awardwinning production Defending the Caveman - the longest running solo play in Broadway history. Translated into 30 languages and seen in over 45 countries, Defending the Caveman has toured the world successfully since 1991. It will be performed at The First Group Theatre at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, February 23-27. Wild Wadi Waterpark will be carrying out maintenance on Juha’s Dhow and Lagoon (Family Play structure) and Breaker’s Bay (Wave Pool) until 15th of February, but guests can still enjoy the rest of the 19 rides and attractions between 10pm to 6pm. The waterpark also has a new season pass giving more options for unlimited access to fun here without having to queue.
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CINEMA
The lovely bones
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Steven Spielberg production, this film is based on the critically acclaimed bestselling novel by Alice Sebold. The Lovely Bones centres on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan.
The Spy Next Door
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ionsgate’s family action comedy The Spy Next Door stars martial arts superstar Jackie Chan as Bob Ho, an undercover CIA superspy who decides to give up his career in espionage to settle down with his next-door neighbour and girlfriend,
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Gillian (Amber Valletta). But Bob has one more mission to complete before Gillian agrees to marry him: winning over her three opinionated children. When Gillian suddenly has to leave town, Bob volunteers to babysit the children so he can earn their approval.
But when one of the kids mistakenly downloads a top-secret formula from his computer, Bob’s arch enemy, a Russian terrorist, moves in for the attack, forcing Bob to juggle the roles of spy and prospective stepfather in the most challenging mission of his career!
ENTERTAINMENT
Song and dance extravaganza By Vanit Sethi
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he name ‘Bollywood’ conjures up images of high-energy song and dance routines, with colourful costumes on lavish studio sets or against breathtaking natural landscapes. The western notion of the Hindi film industry as largely trivial, escapist fare remained in vogue for decades. Ironically, the Hindi film industry was also looked down upon by lovers of Indian regional cinema as belonging neither here nor there. Though Hindi cinema did imitate Hollywood to a large extent in a rather superficial way, most of the best Hindi films were drawn from Indian literature. One distinctive feature of Indian cinema across the country was the presence of songs and dances – a feature that made it stand out against Hollywood. It is precisely this feature that has popularised Bollywood across the continents, even competing with Hollywood on its own turf. Today, Bollywood is also providing expertise in certain fields to its western counterpart. Bollywood musicals have now cast their spell on discerning western audiences, particularly after the Oscar and Grammy accolades for AR Rahman. Dubai, which is home to people from across the globe, has not
remained immune to this charm offensive. With a large population of Indian expats, Bollywood is perhaps more popular here than Hollywood. Western expats are watching Bollywood films to figure out what makes them tick. The success of Bollywood stage shows has inspired new ones to target a largely western audience. The Merchants of Bollywood is one such show that happened in Dubai from January 21-23 at the Palladium of Dubai Media City. Running to nearly packed houses on all the three days (with five shows), the colourful, highenergy song and dance extravaganza capitalised on the audience hunger for a scintillating spectacle. Produced by Mark Brady, an Australian; directed by Tony Gough, a Scot; and performed by an Indian cast of 40, the show tells the story of Ayesha Merchant, the granddaughter of Shantilal
Merchant, a lauded choreographer from Bollywood’s golden era. Ayesha, who was taught Indian classical dance by Shantilal, was enticed by the romance of Bollywood. She dreams of making her name in Bombay and abandons home, but despite fame and fortune, the emotional pull of her ailing grandfather draws her back, and into the arms of childhood sweetheart Uday. The show, for most Indians, looked like a primer to Bollywood. With songs from the films of the 1990s and the previous decade, some of the best Hindi numbers were missing. What’s more, a recap of the swinging ‘70s had an atrocious medley taken from a recent movie. But what the show lacked in subtlety, it made up by high-energy dance steps and foot-tapping rhythms. Some of the generalisations about Bollywood were synthesised with its new, international appeal. For a large western audience and a growing group of assertive young Indian expats, the show (choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant, and composed by brothers Salim and Sulaiman under Rahman’s baton) displayed a certain chutzpah which floored them. Several westerners were seen swaying to the beats and shaking a leg. The show has toured several countries, receiving good public response and favourable reviews. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 49
PHOTOS
Not a snapshot
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f you have been wondering how to improve your photographic skills, including computer related skills such as using Photoshop, then go along to Gulf Photo Plus which will run from 28th February to 6th March at which 12 professional photographers will share their knowledge through lectures, workshops and classes. There are workshops galore for every standard of photographer from complete beginners ‘green automatic setting worshippers’ to ‘I’m so good I know everything’ professionals. An exhibition of photographic work carried out here will be shown until March 13. The event, featuring 50 workshops at Dh50 each, will be held at Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre, Mall of the Emirates, from 7pm onwards. If you’re not able to get time off work during the week, then be sure to go to PhotoFriday on March 5 where you can enjoy any of the 16 informationpacked talks, seminars and panels for all levels. Open Day tickets are an economical way of getting the maximum out of your day. You can fill the day (and your head!) with six hours of talks and open forums for Dh150. In addition to the 12 visiting photographers, there will also be some Joe McNally local photographers: Clint McLean, photographer and photo editor for the capital’s National M magazine will be part of the panel of the Make it Happen: Overcoming Photography Obstacles and Brian Kerrigan, Photo Editor of The National will be part of the panel looking at the emergence of video as a new force in photography. And last, but not the least, Hind Mezaina : 50 l UAE Digest, February 2010
photographer and UAE’s Lomography Ambassador will be hosting a talk on Lomography and the Diana cameras, and will also be encouraging participants to shoot during the session. Saturday will see a ‘shoot off’ at Dubai Knowledge Village Auditorium between a few of the visiting photographers who will be alloted 30 minutes to shoot a portrait and they will only find out who their model is at the time. Entry is free of charge and open to all. There will be product offers and free printing available in addition to expert assistance and information on all the latest products. Some of the international professional photographers who have confirmed they
Melissa Rodwell
will be attending include Joe McNally, who was here last year. You may remember he was made famous for shooting the US Olympic Team naked (well not quite…a few strategically placed basketballs etc) and also for his Ballerina on a Rooftop series of the Bolshoi. Joey L is a natural and at just 20 is already shooting people like 50 Cent, the Twilight cast etc. To add
more dimension to Joey L, in his time away from commercial photography he is fascinated by tribes, not just photographing them, but living with them. He’s a master of manipulation and is self taught! That’s right….no formal education in photography. Melissa Rodwell is leaving Lulu, her pitbull, in California and flying in from her home in the Hollywood Hills to teach an amazing fashion photography workshop. She will take participants through every step of the process from briefing hair stylists and make-up artists, to selecting wardrobe right down to fabric choices, taking the shots and post-production. The Gulf Photo Plus team take care of hiring the models, the stylists, make-up, locations etc. This class is only for those who already know their way around a camera…. It is a twoday workshop and this Fashionista will share her secrets of how to make an attractive girl into a supermodel in just hours. 2010 Gulf Photo Plus will mark Matt Klowkowsk’s first visit to Dubai. He is brilliant at Photoshop, so much so he is also a television presenter for the weekly Photoshop User TV show. Steve Simon will visit Dubai for the first time in March to teach photo journalism classes. Some of his projects include Heroines & Heroes: Hope, HIV and Africa which will form part of the opening night Exhibition “In The Blink of an Eye” to be held at Ductac on February 28. A total of four of his personal projects have been published as books including Empty Sky – The Pilgrimage to Ground Zero.
IMPROVEMENT
How to achieve your goals this year... when so many won’t By Kevin Abdulrahman
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ll too often you hear of people who talk about goal setting. Yet you are well aware that many goals have been set only to have never been achieved. Worst yet, they were never even started. By now, you must be also aware of the fact that time stops for no one. If in doubt, check your calendar. You will be reminded that you will never be able to relive a day that has just gone by. It is therefore important to make the most of the time you have and start setting goals and taking the right measures to achieve them. For those who want to move from goal setting (and failing) to goal achieving, I will share with you six quick tips to get you on your way.
1. Remind yourself Remind yourself that a goal never started is a goal never achieved. For you to achieve your goals, you need to take action. Standing still and hoping that you will cross the road will never get you to the other side, no matter how much you wish for it to be. Only when you make a move, will you have a chance at crossing that road. Take Action.
2. Create a plan of attack Work out a plan, then put that plan to work. A plan is not set in concrete. It is something that can be changed along the way, but if the goals you set are equivalent to going north, then you want to ensure that your map and directions (plan) are pointing you to the northern highway. Most people never get to their goals because they are on the western highway wanting to go north.
5. Focus on the steps you must take
3. It’s okay if you don’t make it on time It’s okay for your goals to be delayed. All too often many never achieve their goals because they are overwhelmed that they have past their set deadline. This causes a lot of stress, and results in many giving up, or decreases the intensity of their efforts. Remember that as long as you are continually doing your best and taking the right action, whether you get to your goal on time or six months later is okay. You have still achieved your goal.
4. Your attitude Your attitude is a key factor in your success. If your attitude is a winning one, then no mistake, challenge or failure is a ‘be all or end all’ for you. Your attitude will ensure that any event is simply a stumbling block. Attitude is key to achieving your goals. Two such winning attitudes are realising that (a) it’s never too late to start, and (b) You don’t get a gold medal for giving up. Having a winning attitude will see you through any obstacle.
Once you have set your goal, just focus on the steps you have to take. Many let the end goal overwhelm them. They start thinking that they might fail, that they are unable to do it, that things will go wrong. You must simply focus on taking the steps you need to take. Picture that you are making a tasty meal for dinner. You visualise it when you are bringing the ingredients together to make the meal. Over a period of time (having placed the right ingredients together), the meal you initially visualised (goal) becomes a reality. Achieving your goals in life is no different from cooking a tasty meal.
6. Knockbacks included Knockbacks are part of the game. Understand and accept it. Use every knockback, every hiccup, every challenge and every failure to double your effort. Use it to grow stronger in your desires to achieve your goals. Always remember that you can laugh at your past failures, but you can never laugh at your past regrets. Sticking to, working on, and achieving your goals will bring you a life-long sense of satisfaction as opposed to giving up when the times got tough. With every knockback, get back up and be stronger. The above six tips will help you achieve your goals. Begin with Step 1- Take Action. Kevin Abdulrahman, www. KevInspire.com , is the author of a series of books, an inspirational keynote speaker and a mind nutrition expert. He helps winning organisations, universities, sports teams and individuals create breakthrough results. UAE Digest, February 2010 l 51
SPORTS
England takes on cricket world champion Pakistan
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AE cricket fans will be out in full force to witness an exciting clash between Twenty20 World Champions, Pakistan and England in two Twenty20 International (T20I) matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai Sports City on February 19 and 20. The day promises to be full of drama, action and entertainment, carrying on from the success of the stadium hosting previous
Twenty20 matches between Pakistan and Australia, and Pakistan and New Zealand. The event organisers are planning for these matches to be enjoyed by all fans with great cricketing action, dedicated international pavilions and entertainment areas, lively music, and varied food and beverage offerings. The games will be hotly-contested as Pakistan seek to protect their reputation as current ICC World Twenty20 Champions
and England will be flexing their prowess to be considered serious contenders to wrest their crown ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 being held in the West Indies between April 30 and May 16 2010. Pakistan last played England in a T20 international in May 2009 at the Oval, with England winning by 48 runs. Pakistan went on to win the tournament defeating Sri Lanka.
75 teams in Dubai schools football league
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ony Gulf FZE informed that 75 teams representing primary school children in Dubai from grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 competed for top honours at the third edition of the Sony Dubai Schools Football League last month. The season that concluded on 10 January witnessed Horizon School and Deira International School winning the Champion’s Trophy and Shield for Grade 3, while Jumeirah English Speaking School and Emirates International School (Meadows) took the top place for Grade 4. The honours for Grade 5 went to Dubai English Speaking School and Emirates International School (Meadows), while Dubai English Speaking School and Rashid School for Boys bagged the Champion’s Trophy and Shield for Grade 6. Recently, 28 children from the football league were chosen from 22 schools through essay contests and other in-house competitions, to carry the FIFA flag for the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi. The children received a unique opportunity to walk the same pitch with their football idols as official flag bearers.
Rally Abu Dhabi to debut 2010
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bu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has announced that a new international motorsport event - Rally Abu Dhabi will debut in the emirate later this year as a World Rally Championship (WRC) candidature event with the aim of becoming an official WRC event in 2011 subject to the inaugural rally’s success. The bid has been initiated and sponsored by ADTA, and officially tabled by the Automobile Touring Club UAE (ATCUAE), the UAE’s national sporting authority on motorsports. “This is a major leap forward in Abu Dhabi’s motor sport ambitions,” said His
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Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman, ADTA. “We are confident we have the right experience, pedigree, determination and skills to deliver a unique and highly successful round of the WRC championship and that our 2011 ambitions can be fully realized.” The introduction of Rally Abu Dhabi charts another significant milestone for motorsports in the emirate, coming shortly after the successful inauguration of the Formula 1™Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and ahead of what will be an exciting year for ADTA’s ever-expanding events portfolio. It will complement ADTA’s other major motorsport event – the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to be held March 25 to April 1.
Charity golf for Haiti
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ollowing the devastating effects suffered by the people of Haiti, Dubai Sports City is participating in the global disaster relief efforts by staging a charity event at The Els Club on Saturday 27th. 144 golfers will compete for prizes which have been donated by many sponsors around the UAE. The general public is also invited to join in the festivities from 4pm where a BBQ will take place on the driving range with plenty of entertainment for the families to enjoy. All proceeds will be donated to Red Crescent, United Arab Emirates.
SPORTS
Running in the Hajjar The Wadi Bih Run starts from Dibba to RAK and back, running through the spectacular Hajjar Mountains By Manju Ramanan
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The end-of-run function will take he Wadi Bih Run was set place at the Golden Tulip hotel up by Dubai based running White sign boards will mark the enthusiast John Gregory in end of each stage and there are check 1993 and has been held every points set at specific distances along the year since then. It is the oldest regular race route. Runners are advised to be expatriate sporting event in the UAE sensitive to other road users if there is and this year the event’s 18th run will congestion and traffic jams in the wadi be held on Friday, 12 February 2010. and each team needs to be self-sufficient Currently, because of border for transport (4-wheel drive), food, restrictions, the run will start and finish in water, plasters, sun cream etc. The team’s Dibba, Sultanate of Oman. The route for accompanying vehicles also need to take the relay run varies depending on the road care to park well to the side of the road condition and situation at the UAE - Oman at the change over points as there will be border post. In the past the run has gone normal wadi traffic as well as race traffic. from Ras Al Khaimah to Dibba on asphalt Security is of prime concern during roads and graded gravel tracks through the race and the Wadi Bih Run website the spectacular Hajjar mountains and lists out the pros and the cons, the dos comprises of 900m of ascent and descent. and the don’ts of the event. In case of The run will start from the beach in climatic changes like rain, members are Dibba between the Absolute Adventure asked to exercise caution and prudence. Centre and the Golden Tulip Hotel and For instance, if there is water flowing in go up Wadi Khab Shamsi past the high the wadi, they are asked to not attempt point at the top of the mountain to a to drive, cycle or run through it, keep flat area where the runners will turn and their vehicles on the higher ground then return to follow the same route back and wait for the water to subside etc. down to the finish, at the start point. The run is for teams of five runners, Wadi Bih changeover cliffs with each runner completing about 15 kilometres to give a total distance of about 72 kilometres. Each team of five must include one female or a veteran male 50+. Traditionally teams have been encouraged to camp the night before the run and this is usually done on the beach at Dibba where families make their own arrangements for camping including food, beverages, fuel and BBQ grill. The stage distance sheets and run details will be issued at registration which will be open from 6 pm to 9 pm on the evening of Thursday 11th February 2010 and from 6.30 am to 9 am on the morning of Friday 12th February 2010.
What’s in a Name ? What is interesting about the race is the innovative names teams have come up with which depice the current economic crisis: Al Satwa Repossession And Debt Management Cream of the Credit Crunch Hitting The Wall Street Teams from Mirdiff all prefixed with MM, for Mirdiff Milers, call themselves: MM Crawlers MM Ditherers MM Waddlers MM Wasters
MM Dawdlers MM Trotters MM Wanderers
Even Salik Dodgers?
Wadi Bih Richard&Charles
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SPORTS
Run the marathon The world’s richest half marathon, the RAK Half Marathon, shall see a sea of people running for various causes – charity, fitness and teamwork By Manju Ramanan
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porting events in the UAE have been successful in roping in a number of tourists to its shores. They have also succeeded in getting participation from locals and expatriates living in the country and in nearby GCC nations. One such awaited event is the RAK Half Marathon, the world’s richest half marathon, which is an IAAF Silver Label Race and a full member of the Association of Marathons and Distance Running (AIMS) that will be held in Ras Al Khaimah on February 12, 2010. The single day event will be celebrating its fourth year this year and will have a huge outpour of people from across the world who shall run the marathon for reasons varying from fitness, charity causes they support or simply as part of a team building exercise. Nathan Clayton, Race Director of the RAK Half Marathon and Managing Director of Premier Marathons, the organising company behind the Middle East’s highest accredited road race states that the marathon has been very successful in the past few years and has had a good participation from across the emirates. “Apart from the rest of the world, people have driven down from Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain as well. Locals have started participating in the race and last year we even had an emirati lady who took part. We hope and wish that there is more local participation in the event,” he states. Registrations for the race had started early to allow access to more people who 54 l UAE Digest, February 2010
2007 RAK International Half Marathon winner Samuel Wanjiru crosses the line
wished to join in the half marathon, and to help HR managers advertise or prepare company teams, an aspect that has become extremely popular within the event. The race organisers have simultaneously re-launched the event website with a fresh new feel and the ability to browse through it in a choice of English, Arabic or German. “We introduced the Arabic language site last year and felt this year, due to the popularity of the event and Ras Al Khaimah itself with German people, and their love of running, that it was appropriate to offer a higher level of service to German speakers,” adds Clayton. The route map of the race is available on the website; the actual day of the
event will see no traffic on the roads. The race offers over $400,000 in cash prizes, making it the world’s richest half marathon and shall have several categories that include an Open Category for Men - List A and List B, Open Category for Women List A and B, a Master’s Category for Men (men born on or before 19.02.1965) and Master’s Category for Women (women born on or before 19.02.1970), a UAE Resident’s Category (Men) and a UAE Resident Category (Women), a UAE National Category ( Men) and a UAE National Category ( Women) apart from a Relay Team Challenge. As for the programme for the day: all events (the Half Marathon, Team Relay Challenge and the Fun Run) will start and
The Flying Angel goes out to ships in the anchorage off the East Coast of the UAE bringing support to seafarers
finish at the same place just opposite to the City Hotel and at the end of the Manar Mall car park, next to the Carrefour sign. The Half Marathon and the Team Relay Challenge will run on the same route. The course will start on, and run south, along Al Muntasir Road to the first crossroads where it will turn right and run along the edge of the Mangrove Swamp to the Police Officers Club (3.5 kilometres) where runners will turn right and run along and past the Sheikh Zayed Mosque along the Al Qawasim Corniche Road. The route will then turn left, head south again down Al Nahda Street (6-7 kilometres), and then left to the Al Shuhada Roundabout with a gentle curve around (8 kilometres) to bring runners on to the south side of the Mangrove Swamp Road. It will turn right at the Ruler’s Palace (11 kilometres) and run along Khuzam Road to the Sheikh Abdullah Bin Muhammed Al Qasimi Roundabout (13.5 kilometres). Runners will then run straight (over) the roundabout and continue up to the Coffee Pot roundabout, again run straight (over) to the intersection of
Sultan Al Kabeer Road where they will U-turn (15 kilometres) and return along the north side of Khuzam Road, past the Ruler’s Palace (18 kilometres) and turn right back onto the south side of the Mangrove Road to the first crossroads where they will turn left and head back to the Finish Line with a good final sprint. For participants, water stations and energy drink stations will be located every 2.5 kilometres. Medical Stations will be positioned every five kilometres and there will be toilet facilities at the start and finish point, five kilometres, 10 kilometres and 15 kilometres points. Many of the runners will be supporting various charities. More than 40 runners have signed up so far to run in aid of the Angel Appeal which helps maintain a vessel that goes out to ships anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates offering comfort to thousands of seafarers. Each runner who signs up with the Angel Appeal will be given help with training by Dubai Fit; a training pack courtesy of Saucony; transport to the race courtesy of Murdoch University;
and lunch back in Dubai once the race has been completed. Each runner has committed to raise a minimum of Dh1,000 which will go towards the Mission for Seafarers’ which helps maintain the M/V Flying Angel vessel. The UAE’s east coast is the second largest bunker anchorage in the world which is used by over 10,500 ships each year. During this time, more than 200,000 seafarers are unable to communicate with family and friends back home for weeks, sometimes months, leading to isolation and loneliness. The vessel has an Internet café, a library with DVDs and books, a medical clinic, access to telecommunications and pastoral support. The Reverend Stephen Miller, of the Mission to Seafarers, Dubai, said: “The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is a great way to increase awareness about the incredibly important role seafarers play in our lives here in the UAE. We are presenting a prize for best costumed runner and we hope this will encourage our runners to bring attention to both themselves and the Appeal.” UAE Digest, February 2010 l 55
TRAVEL
A short break By Linda Benbow
camping in the desert
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have long been an adovocate for short holidays during the year to help re-charge the batteries and give back that ‘joie de vivre’ that sometimes goes missing at the end of a long period of hard work and botherations. I also like to take a short break when something has gone right; a feel-good reward to myself. A two day break (one night stay, i.e. Friday and Saturday) in a hotel in this country is welcomed by many families as an escapism opportunity and a chance to be together, have fun, learn about each other again and maybe something about the region too. Sometimes we include friends in our plans and book a number of rooms in a 3 or 4 star motel or hotel on the East Coast somewhere, with children bunking in various rooms so that all are accommodated. A day on the beach, afternoon adventuring in the rocky foothills and a joint barbeque for
56 l UAE Digest, February 2010
all – having obtained prior approval from the motel – is a great way to relax. Meet at the breakfast table next morning and plan a lazy morning on the beach playing cricket with the children before preparing to leisurely return home, maybe stopping for photo opportunities and road-side shopping of pots and carpets. Camping is another favourite in this land of sand dunes and mountains. Whether it is with just another couple or a whole bunch of folks, everyone brings something different to the trip. Sit around a campfire in the evening and see who is the first to start off the singing. Maybe someone ‘just happens to have his guitar in the car’. Old fashioned musical expertise such as whistling or playing the spoons becomes the centre of attraction and youngsters are usually eager to copy and learn. Many hotels are currently offering
special deals to residents only. Look out for promotions and offers in the newspapers, or phone a hotel and ask. You may get to visit places that you only dreamed of before. From the top end of the payment scale to middle and lower end – there are deals to be found. Go on the website and sign up for emails from the various groups. Jumeirah have a number of hotels and resorts including Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Al Maha Resort; and a number of offers on during the winter. The
same applies to Jebel Ali International with their Hatta Fort Hotel in the mountains, Oasis Towers on the beach and Jebel Ali Hotel with its marina, golf course, stables and spa and peacocks roaming freely throughout the grounds which visitors are encouraged to do too! Ras Al Khaimah means mountains to me, with its associated camping within old stone walled goat pens, or on a bluff above a small stream. Teenagers love the adventurous investigation of the different landscapes; others prefer to sit in comfort and watch their dearly beloveds enjoy time-out by themselves or with folks they don’t often have time to talk to in depth and make friends with properly. Nowadays there are more golf clubs, hotels and resorts in the towns, offering deals during the coming months, for those who want to relax in five star comfort. But in this land of annual holidays it is sometimes difficult to take advantage of the special deals offered by those in other lands. Four day holidays are just not encouraged by companies who still operate under the old-fashioned belief that a 30 day holiday means one calendar month. More progressive and many European and US companies know that it means 30 working days and those who work for them can enjoy the many affordable holidays offered by the new low-cost airlines operating from the UAE. However, it is worth asking the holiday sections of these airlines if you Old palace square in Paton
can have a reduced package deal instead. The recent Eid holidays in December, which famously was called for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to be days off for the private sector did nothing to detract from my resolve to visit Kathmandu in Nepal, a four hour flight away. AirArabia, who flies there daily, www.airarabia. com, had some very affordable fares and four day hotel deals to this country that I have always wanted to visit. But work commitments meant that I could only have three days holiday. What to do? “If you don’t ask, you won’t get” my mother always told me. So I asked. And I got. Three days (two nights), returning on the last plane out of Nepal on Sunday, back in Dubai for a few hours sleep and into the office on time on Monday worked for me. So, at 5.00am on a Friday morning we were at Sharjah Airport waiting to fly to the backpackers paradise of temples, valleys, wild rhinos and the Himilaya mountains with all their trekking routes.
Kathmandu, Nepal Kathmandu itself is a poor town with character. When the air clears you can see the backdrop of snow capped mountains (bring your smog mask along - everyone wears one). At its heart is something unique - the world’s largest complex of ancient, richly carved wooden buildings, mostly palaces and temples, dating from the 8th to the 15th century. Principal
among these is the Kasthamandapa, or House of Wood, supposed to have been constructed from a single tree in the 8th century, and from which Kathmandu takes its name. This was once the ancient kingdom’s main meeting place and is still a natural focus for the Old City’s fascinating street life. Now pedestranised and protected as a World Heritage Site, the old town has been restored to the primary colours of its former glory. In the evening we got a taxi into the Thamel district where young trekkers and backpackers from visiting countries prefer to stay and eat due to the cheap prices on everything. There are so many things for sale or hire here that it hardly seems worth bringing anything but your favourite walking boots. Prices are reasonable for everything from socks to tents. We roamed the shops bargaining for yak wool jumpers and pure silk jackets. We climbed the stairs to sit on quiet verandahs overlooking the bustling streets while quenching our lunchtime or afternoon thirst. In the evenings, when the temperature dramatically dropped from 24oC in the daylight to 4oC in the dark, we sat in cosy restaurants enjoying the old fashioned sight of heaters and people shedding their thick clothing before joining in the buzz of conversation and laughter while eating enormous portions of food fit for hill-climbers who must surely be very hungry after all that mountain climbing.
The old royal palace
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 57
Himilaya mountain range Mount Everest
The ‘meet & greet’ tour guide at the airport had recommended a restaurant that served authentic Nepalese food plus put on a cultural show most evenings. So we went to KTM Kitchen and joined in with organised tour groups eating a Nepalese thali consisting of a large platter heaped with small portions of rice, flat bread and various stews, meat and vegetables reminiscent of very mild curries and oriental delicacies. Smiling dancers, sword swallowers and fire jugglers entertained while waiters continuously replenished the food on platters. Getting a taxi back was an eye-opener as the town goes to sleep early and folks usually aim to be back within walking distance of their home bases by 9pm. Friendly waiters stood in the street to flag down reliable transportation for us. An early morning start was needed for the scenic flight along the Himilaya range featuring Mount Everest, also known as Sagarmatha, and the Hindu pilgrimage peak of Gauri Shankar. This was a trip that had to be done. Buddha Air made sure that everyone in the small nonpressurised aircraft got a window seat and a panoramic view of the world’s best mountain scenery. A detailed diagram map of the range naming 20 of seen peaks were handed out by knowledgeable air hostesses who pointed out and named the various sights to make sure that you were looking at the correct thing. Be aware that if the tour operators don’t feel that there is a reasonable chance of sighting Everest, due to bad weather, they won’t take you. They don’t want clients grumbling that they’ve been cheated. Qatar Airways has been flying to Kathmandu for a number of years. Etihad too. AirArabia made this one of their destinations in 2006 and December 2009 saw Fly Dubai start 58 l UAE Digest, February 2010
operations in this small mountain country squashed between its giant neighbours of China to the north and India to the south. If you have more time to spare, visit the valley towns of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur for their ancient urban culture, followed by a walking holiday in a hill-station, and then perhaps a number of days in the trekking capital of Pokhara, with its picturesque lake and views of the Annapurna range.
Six Senses Hideaway at Zighy Bay, Oman Last month’s getaway weekend was in another country, just two hours drive from Dubai. On the east coast of this peninsula, north of Dibba, the Sultanate of Oman beckoned when I discovered that Six Senses Hideaway at Zighy Bay, Oman was once again advertising its special offers and speciality weekends. The winter months sees a pay-for-one-night-and-stay-for-two deal, which is a real boon as a Friday morning arrival at the resort means Friday and Saturday nights at the resort with an early morning getaway after breakfast on sunday, and a drive straight to the office. It must be remembered that the Sultanate of Oman is one hour ahead of UAE time, so you can get up at 8.00am, have breakfast, drive to the border crossing, and be in the UAE at 8.00am. Handy, or what, eh? December saw sommelier Michel Laroche explaining grapes and their vintages during an evening of fine dining, after which guests retired to their luxury villas and woke up at their leisure the next morning to be greeted by a hearty breakfast and a relaxing drive back to the UAE. Having missed that opportunity, we decided to try out the spa resort anyway, for some R&R (rest and relaxation), and a
chance to try jumping off a cliff with a parachute(paragliding), watching the sunset from a mountain top overlooking the Indian Ocean and maybe a massage or two to get rid of stress and toxins. Imagine my surprise when, along with a booking and Profile form, we received a menu of 16 types of pillows to choose from for our nightime slumber. This was definitely not going to be the usual weekend getaway! An easy to follow map led us to a secured car park at the foot of a very high mountain. We left the car and got into the resort’s 4WD with an Omani driver who competently drove us up the steep and winding road, and then drove us down the other side to a big sandy bay with the Hideaway in one corner and a small fishing village and harbour in the other. Replacement homes are being built in the fishing village by the resort as part of a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme towards its neighbours. It was time to be busy: busy doing nothing, that is. As the old Bing Crosby song goes: “I’m busy doing nothing, nothing the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do. I’m busy doing nothing, isn’t it just a crime, I’d Zighy Bay, Sultanate of Oman like to be unhappy but … I really don’t have the time.” We lazed in our own infinity pool gazing out to the beach and sea just beyond the back gate. We played chess while sipping coffee. We lounged on the huge pillows in the majlis. Satellite channels were on TV, although we used it mainly as soft background music in the early evening while getting ready to dine in one of the fine-dining restaurants. The friendly staff will even get your bath (big enough for two) ready for you with special packages for romantics, such as the 1001 Roses Luxury Bath Milk, a completely relaxing Arabian milk treatment which leaves skin soft and silky. This is one of the special deals on offer for Valentines weekend, along with a meal in their mountain top restaurant. I even learnt how to ride a bike. These are provided at all villas, so it seemed a bit silly not to try them out. The two wheeler was a bit tricky, so I asked my butler (yes, guests have their own butler who is there to do whatever is needed to make their stay a success) for a child’s bike – maybe a teenagers version? But that was no good as my knees kept hitting the handlebars. The three-wheeler A back yard to relax in he found for me, however, was perfect. A trike with a large basket on the back (I hope it didn’t belong to Maintenance Dept. – I didn’t ask!) was a success. I pedalled all around the resort with a marvellous sense of achievement. The kayaking was a success too. Not being of an energetic ilk, I asked if we could ‘go tandem’, i.e. use a boat made for two. Yes, these were available, no problem. So off we jolly well went, dipping and scooping the paddles until the rocks near the harbour wall were near. That is when I realised that I had been paddling, doing the hard work of making us go forward, while hubby had sat in the back enjoying a rest. He was supposed Preparing your bath
Villas come with bikes and a butler
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 59
Brilliance of the Seas
to have been the steerer and main paddler! I could have been annoyed, but instead was proud to have managed to get us out so far. Another sense of achievement. We let the tide carry us around the harbour wall and towards the shore, watching colourful fish darting in and out of rocks, and schools of black and silver fuslier fish swimming around and under the kayak. Beautiful.
Cruising delights I haven’t made any plans for next month yet but the news that cruise ships have been seen around the country is fuelling my interest. Royal Caribbean International has joined up with Dubailand to offer trips to tourist attractions there when the ship docks in Dubai. These include Dubai Autodrome in MotorCity, Dubai Outlet Mall in Outlet City, The Global Village and Dubai Sports City which features the Ernie Els Golf Club, the Butch Harmon School of Golf and the Cricket Stadium. Throughout the winter, until the end of April, RCI’s vessel ‘Brilliance of the Seas’ is set to dazzle with its seven night sailings around the Arabian Gulf, in line with its signature style of cruising for active holidaymakers. The cruise starts and finishes in Dubai with other ports of call including Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Muscat and Bahrain where choices of activities have been arranged. Depending on the type of cabin booked, you can expect to pay about Dh3,000 per person for the week long cruise, this price includes all meals and most activities and entertainment. This is considered one of the most elegant cruise ships in the world; it features an open Centrum with 10-deck high windows and ocean-facing glass elevators which offer spectacular views of the passing shoreline and sea. On board, the 60 l UAE Digest, February 2010
whole family can share in nine holes of mini-golf; scale a rock wall - which Royal Caribbean first introduced to cruising; delight in riding the Adventure Beach waterslide; or challenge each other on one of the self-levelling pool tables in the Bombay Billiards Club. There are various childrens clubs for differing ages with Hoops court and rock climbing wall on the top deck professional staff to take care of with Star Cruises (SC) luxury cruise them. Guests also enjoy award-winning liners. That is because their offices are musical shows, multiple restaurants based there, where they can easily keep and lounges throughout the ship. in touch with many airlines in the region Plus, adults can enjoy a bet or two especially Emirates Airlines and Emirates in Casino Royale, once the ship has Holidays. SC, together with its jointly sailed beyond the 12-nautical-mile controlled entity, Norwegian Cruise territorial waters limit of the UAE Line (NCL) has a combined fleet of 16 and its neighbouring Arab coastal ships cruising to over 200 destinations states along Gulf shorelines. Polished in the world. The most popular cruise brass fittings, crystal chandeliers and for residents from this region is on board stained glass portraits give a Vegas the ship SuperStar Virgo which takes feeling to the casino which offers more passengers from Singapore to Malaysia than 190 slot machines, video gaming and Thailand and stops over at various machines and a dozen craps, blackjack ports of call for eight to nine hours and poker tables. It costs a minimum (land tour costs are not included in the of Dh184 ($50) to play at the tables. package rate). A typical three-night It sounds a bit peculiar but it is true: cruise on SuperStar Virgo in Southeast The Dubai Airport Freezone has links Global Village
Asia costs on average Dh1,695 per person on a twin sharing cabin while an executive suite on twin sharing for three nights costs Dh 6955. The package is inclusive of up to six meals a day and a range of entertainment activities and facilities onboard including its latest feature - a 100-metre long mega waterslide on a cruise ship. Flights to the Far East are separate. December saw Italian operator Costa’s flagship Lumionsa cruise ship making its maiden tour of the Arabian Gulf. In Abu Dhabi, as part of the company’s newly-launched five stop, seven-day winter cruise programme, the Looking down to choose which deck to explore next Mini golf passengers and more than 900 crew of the Luminosa – which was launched in July 2009 - were some of the first to experience Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s (ADTA) interactive visitor information centre at Abu Dhabi Terminals, Mina Zayed Port. Manned by trained visitor service representatives, the centre has a heritage village with falconry, henna artists and traditional Arabian handcraft displays, a dedicated exhibition on the future of Abu Dhabi - which visually maps Slot machines in Casino Royale Sea view from the Gym out the emirate’s key development projects – and a reception and greeting area. The Costa Deliziosa, Costa’s newest flagship, Dubai to open new cruise terminal completed her official technical trials in the open Dubai's new cruise terminal located in the Port Rashid complex will be inaugurated sea successfully recently and will be inaugurated on this month. The terminal's design allows for handling four ships simultaneously and February 23, 2010 in Dubai, which marks the first to cater to the increased number of cruise ship calls. Its facilities include money time the international locale has hosted a cruise exchange, ATMs, post office, duty free shop, souvenir shops, gift shops, business ship naming. The European-based firm says on its centre with internet access, Wi-Fi enabled for lap-top users and a VIP Majlis. website that the liner will also include a casino. Star Cruises
ADTA passengers were treated to Emirati culture such as falconry
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 61
TRAVEL
Enchanting Oman
Muttrah town
By K.G.K. Panikkar, retired professor from Kerala, India, is spellbound with the beauty of Muscat and Oman
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his is my third visit to Muscat, the capital of Oman. The country sprawls over an area of 309,500 square kilometres and has a population of above 2,331,391 (2003 census) with a large proportion of expatriates. The place is surrounded by majestic and rugged, yet elegant mountains with the sea not too far away. I find it quite admirable that a city which was literally washed away by the recent havoc of Gonu has returned to its old elegance, facing life with a bang. The landscape of the country has changed considerably, thanks to the farsighted vision of His Excellency Sultan Qaboos’s efficient administration, coupled with the firm resolve of his patriotic people. In fact, His Excellency’s generosity, goodwill and religious tolerance has made it possible for the country’s Hindu temples - the Shiva temple and the Krishna temple 62 l UAE Digest, February 2010
- to flourish and attract a large number of devotees from near and far. The same can be said about the Christian church near the temple. This religious, geographical and environmental cohesion makes Muscat a cosmopolitan city. During the last 10-15 years, with limited natural resources as compared to other Gulf countries, Oman is on the pathway to progress. The country is developing very fast and in a big way in the fields of agriculture, industry, fishing and tourism. An absence of skyscrapers and the uniformity and simplicity incorporated in its architecture and planning, adds to the beauty and grandeur of the city. Beautiful roads, shopping malls, nice parks and beaches, the marina and good eating places which cater to the tastes of all nationalities, makes the place attractive and enjoyable to tourists, expatriates and Omani people alike.
The Marina is a place from where we can sail on small and big boats into the sea, enjoying the beauty of the landscape against the backdrop of the rugged mountains. Recently, we took a mid-sea cruise with 20 people, where we had an enchanting experience of spotting dolphins – we saw hundreds of them in their natural habitat - jumping and leaping playfully. It was a wonderful and memorable experience. We could also see the coral reefs through the glass-bottomed boat. During our perambulations, we heard about the hot springs of Nakhal on the outskirts of the city, about 34 kilometres away from Barka. On the way we saw a wadi on the left of the road, well protected by a long retaining parapet where people sat. Parking the car on one side, we got out to have a close look and saw a shallow, sporadically flowing stream of warm water on the rocky bed that drew a cosmopolitan crowd. The interesting part was, though
Muttrah souq
the water there was scarce there, many people were trying to get wet. Anxiously searching for the origin of the stream, a hundred yards ahead, we found a gushing spring at the foot of the hillock, around which there was a 10 square foot wide built-up pond with waist deep water. There, about 3-4 adults and a few children were enjoying a comfortable dip. The water overflowing from this pond flows into the wadi some 20 to 25 feet wide and I spotted an Omani individual washing his white gown, with washing powder. He was unmindful of the people watching him and went about his job happily, even though it was environmentally unfriendly. Adding a little humour to the situation was an Omani boy who was giving pony rides to the young boys there, who suddenly lost control of the pony. As a result, one of the riders, a small boy, lost his balance and fell on his back on the rocky ground. The owner would have beaten the ill-tempered pony but was stopped by the crowd. We enjoyed all that was happening but felt that posters in different languages would benefit tourists travelling to these places, so would guidelines of basic standard of conduct at public places.
A wadi in a canyon
Nakhal fort
UAE Digest, February 2010 l 63
END PAGE
The silver screen path-breakers By Con Clude
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t’s showtime, folks! The Grammys have just concluded and the Oscars are on their way, and, going by appearances, it looks like viewers have put the ghost of the recession well behind them. Both Hollywood and Bollywood had major hits in the end of 2009 – their box-office success continuing well into this year. While Avatar raced ahead of 2012 and Titanic to become the biggest Hollywood grosser, 3 idiots overshot Ghajini and DDLJ, turning the tide of a rather depressing year in Bollywood. It’s not just their box-office success that has delighted the film fraternity, but also critical acclaim and the awards. Oscar accolades for Avatar are sure to follow in the footsteps of the Golden Globes and the SAG awards, while 3 idiots has already scooped up the maximum Star Screen awards – the first of the plethora of Indian honours. But what is most interesting is the subject matter of the two movies. While Avatar belongs to the science fiction genre with a radically different approach, 3 idiots is a first for Bollywood in many ways. Both the movies have rewritten some major rules in film-making. Prior to Avatar, Hollywood’s space movies went on rather predictable lines. First, the aliens were the bad guys, and then they turned good, seeking cooperation with earthlings. But it’s the first time that we, from the planet earth, have turned evil, while they, from Pandora, are the innocent peace-lovers. It’s we who have ravaged and pillaged our beautiful planet like nobody’s business, and not satis64 l UAE Digest, February 2010
fied with the destruction, seek to conquer other worlds. But they, the Pandorans, are not the green, evil-eyed monsters, but blue, benign and blessed. They have preserved their planet, while we are destroying ours and also theirs – that’s the message of the movie. For this reason alone, Avatar stands out among the other sci-fi spectacles, though it’s not short of some of the most visually stunning scenes in a 3-D format. 3 idiots, on the other hand, is completely different – a film that has probably set a new path for Bollywood to follow. Rooted in the reality of the Indian education system and the cut-throat job market, it drives another nail into the coffin of the old Bollywood formula. Based on best-selling Indian writer Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone, it proves that well-made films with a good script will always find takers. It also drives home the fact that films based on books have usually done well at the box-office, because they have a good story to begin with. This runs contrary to conventional thinking in the Bombay film industry which generally relied on time-tested but hackneyed formulas. It’s a good sign that Bollywood is turning slicker and smarter, but ultimately, movies with only froth and no meat have to bite the dust. By the way, Rann, Ishqiya, and My Name is Khan are the new Hindi movies to watch out for, while last year’s other good movies were Paa, Rocket Singh, and Kurbaan.
Rain, come again! It’s February, and winter already seems to be well behind us. Heck, where have the rains disappeared this winter? We did have a day-long downpour one Sunday in mid-December, and some intermittent showers on a couple of weekends, but that’s about it. I know many Dubaians fear the rains because of the abominable traffic chaos they have to endure, along with water-logged roads. But what harm can a few gentle showers do? Besides, we do need the rains for that balance of nature, don’t we? Moreover, where is the cold snap, the shamaal winds that happen so often in January and February? I’m still looking out for the ‘unstable’ (read ‘pleasant’ with rains) weather forecasts in the newspapers and on the radio. Some ‘promising’ days turned out to be ‘dry’ squibs. The weathermen say February and March can be ‘unpredictable’. So, we have two more months of ‘hope’. Frankly, what would life be without a few surprises? Imagine there is no winter chill, no summer storms, no flash of lightning, no thunderclaps, no raindrops on windowpanes, no spring in the air! Just the same sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset! How dull would life be! Thank god for those little vagaries of weather and the nuances of nature! So, never curse the rain next time it comes. For, who knows when it will come again!