Meet the 'Dubindians'

Third generation Indians in the UAE talk about shawarmas versus laddoos, going 'home home', and feeling proud and patriotic about not one, but two countries they call their own

Did you know that there are 2.6 million Indians living in the UAE? Or that, nearly half of annual individual overseas money transfers to India come from its expats living and working in the UAE, with individual remittances estimated at between $12-15 billion? These numbers have, no doubt, shot up since these surveys were last undertaken - but they are just some indicators of how deep ties between the two countries run.
With the historic visit of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to attend the Indian Republic Day parade in New Delhi yesterday, we spoke to some young Indian expats - whose families have lived in the UAE for three generations and counting - to find out how they're living out the best of both worlds.

"A zillion reasons to be happy"
Atinirmal G Pagarani has very fond memories of growing up in Dubai. It was all about the little things in life. "I so miss that Bur Dubai small-town feel, flagging down random cars that were the only taxis available in those days, relishing Dh1 falafels with a Shani drink and a Hobby chocolate that we'd get for 50 fils each. Getting those two or three dirhams as pocket money was like winning the lottery for me in those days!" There was also "playing throwball, cricket and 'seven tiles' in the sikkas (Arabic for alleyway) between buildings with non-judgmental, 'non-plastic' people" which taught him, early on, to accept people without preconditions of wealth or position.
Atinirmal's paternal grandfather had first come to the UAE 49 years ago from Mumbai, together with his five sons, of which Atinirmal's father was the second. Eventually, all his paternal uncles returned to India; only his dad remained. "No one guessed that Dubai would eventually become home. My dad started his life as a janitor in Al Yousuf Motors's Yamaha division. He worked extremely hard and stayed enterprising." Today, he is chairperson of [reputed business organisation] Yogi Group, of which Atinirmal is managing director.
His work often takes him abroad but he says Dubai will always be home. "Every time I fly back into the city, my social media status is #backtobase. It's like having great meals at fine dining restaurants around town, but feeling like nothing beats home food. That's what the UAE feels like for me: home."
Would he agree with the common perception that expat kids in the UAE don't have much of a connection with their own cultures? "Not really," says the 32-year-old. "It depends on the upbringing. In my case, whether it was the language, food or prayer discipline, our culture was very much present in the house and my parents regularly reminded me of where we came from."
They're values that he hopes to pass on to his own son, Yogi - who represents the family's fourth generation in Dubai. Though his grandparents passed away a few decades ago, Atinirmal feels it's a blessing to have his son growing up in the same house as his parents. "Watching my parents teach my son all the things they taught me is a feeling I cannot put into words."
Naturally, their stories of life in the UAE then and now go far back into the past. "They often talk of how they used to live under a profile sheet roof with no air conditioning or fans, and how Dad would take Mom out for a Dh7-10 meal, that was still so fulfilling. For them, food was to be prayed for and relished, so they find it amusing to see how people today prefer to photograph and compare notes instead." But while lifestyles have changed, their perception of the country remains the same. "We have a zillion reasons to be happy here," says Atinirmal.

"India is home but nothing like Dubai"
Sisters Sharon, 17, and Nikole Leaben, 10, have grown up in Dubai. Sharon says that she, like her dad - Leaben James, who works as head sales director at Royal Ascott Hotels - is a fan of investigative TV dramas. "Gory horror movies intrigue me," she laughs. It's no coincidence then that as a student of Amity University, Dubai, she's studying forensics. Their mum, Susan, an office manager for Viva Gulf, says the girls are rooted in Indian culture and celebrate all festivals, religion notwithstanding. Sharon's favourites are Onam, Holi and Diwali. "The UAE has taught me diversity," she says.
For the sisters, home in India is Bangalore and Kerala - and they love being back there, eating grandmum's food. What do they miss about Dubai when in India and vice versa? Nikole (affectionately called Niki or Niks) - a natural in front of the camera! - loves Indian food, especially laddoos. Says Sharon, "Growing up, Nikole would call them 'ludas'." Nikole prompts Sharon to also mention the "diamond ones". With all the obliging of an elder sis, Sharon adds: "She also loves kaju katlis". Incidentally, the fifth-grader wants to be an architect when she grows up. Inspired by the Burj Khalifa? It's possible.
Sharon and Nikole's grandparents (Susan's folks) moved here in 1969. Essac Jackson worked in the Deira Operations Etisalat (then called Emirtel). Grandmum Aleyamma Jackson ("Ammachi" to the girls) worked with Central Hospital in Abu Dhabi (now Khalifa Hospital), then moved to Mafraq Hospital, from where she retired as the head ENT nurse.
What does it feel like for both girls to be third generation Indians in the UAE? They're proud of it, and love both countries. Sharon says, "Bangalore feels like home but there's nothing like Dubai." For Nikole, Bangalore means "monsoons, dragonflies and nature". It also means the cows across the road, the family golden retriever Brandy, and meeting relatives - there are more of them back home than here. Except when they're there, they miss the shawarmas in Dubai.
Susan makes sure that when she talks to her daughters in Malayalam, they don't respond in English. It's a way of staying in touch with their roots. "When you go back to Kerala, old nannies will talk to you in Malayalam; you can't respond in English. That doesn't look good. The kids have to know how to respond in Malayalam." Susan says, "I'm very proud of being Indian - and I'd like to teach them all the Indian culture that I've been taught."
 
"I feel one quarter Emirati"
Kannan Ravi, 26, an engineer at an oil and gas company in Dubai Silicon Oasis, is very attached to his house in Al Qusais, Shaikh Colony. 'His' as in it's where his father and grandfather lived - for 24 years. (There were plans to demolish it four years ago but, thankfully, they were scrapped.) Kannan knows all the neighbours, the laundry guy, the grocery guy, the delivery people and the network of people who make Dubai home for him. It's a mini India.
In India, home is Kottayam, Kerala, but Kannan says he feels "quarter Emirati". He went to both school and university here and knows a bit of Arabic - enough to converse, but barely; keif haal and yallah is where it stops.
He has a vague memory of being six years old, in the first grade, when his grandfather showed him photos of the World Trade Centre in the middle of (what was then just) a desert. Kannan is another one of the 'Dubindians' whose heart belongs to both India and the UAE. He loves to go back 'home-home' for Onam and Vishu, but Christmas and New Year are always spent in Dubai.
In 1970, his granddad Bhaskaran Nair came to the UAE from Singapore, where he was working as a government employee. He then worked as head of department of a trading company for 12 years, before going back to Kottayam in 1983. By then, Kannan's dad had already arrived in 1981, and begun working for the cargo department at Emirates.
"I feel so safe and secure here," says Kannan. "I know nothing bad is going to happen. And whenever you meet the locals, they are so friendly. They treat you like one of them. I feel very much a part of this country during National Day and Eid celebrations."

"I was lucky to grow up here"
For 24-year-old Krishesh Shroff, one of his favourite childhood memories is that of living across the street from all his cousins. Driving through Jumeirah takes him back to a lot of those fun times, he says, adding, "I still have a cousin who lives in that area!"
Krishesh's grandfather first came to the UAE with his brothers in the 50s to set up shop and put down some roots. "My father came over not long after finishing his education, and when he married my mother, she joined him here from Thailand," he relates. "They thought it was a great place to have children, because it was safe and quickly developing."
Now a project manager for the family textile business, Regal Group, Krishesh says growing up in a place like the UAE was nothing short of 'fantastic'. "I didn't realise until I went overseas how lucky I was to grow up here. Great friends, schools, parks, entertainment - the whole spectrum was available to me."
While he doubts he'd have had the "sheer world-class range of knowledge, experience and opportunities" that Dubai offers anywhere else, he notes that India, as a whole, has massive potential. "1.3 billion people with so much desire and room to grow does lead to some bright sparks!"
Three generations mean his family has some very strong ties to the UAE. Has that made him as patriotic to the UAE as he is to India? "In a way, absolutely," says Krishesh, whose speech is peppered with 'wallahs'. "I would say I'm more global than nationalistic, but the UAE is my home, and I am immensely proud of what this country has achieved."
His parents and grandparents still reside in the country and, if anything, Krishesh says they "still retain the same appreciation, work ethic, and values that prompted them to come here and make a good life for themselves" in the first place.
For the youngster, the future looks bright and he doesn't see himself leaving for 'greener pastures' anytime soon. "I'm no fortune-teller, but we seem to be entering an exponential era like never before in history," he notes. "Technology and ambition are now globally connected, and I believe if we're smart, lucky and play our cards right, we can enter into an age of abundance." Cheers to that!
wknd@khaleejtimes.com