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Suresh Basantani has lost count of the number of times he has narrated his first UAE adventure to his daughters Sarika and Sonam.
As young girls growing up in a modern metropolis like Abu Dhabi, they were captivated by the tale of their father's maiden voyage from Mumbai to Dubai some four decades ago with empty pockets.
As a 19-year-old young man from Mumbai itching to earn some hard cash, Basantani had borrowed Rs400 to buy a ticket onboard Dumra that set sail from Mumbai on March 14, 1973. He had carried a huge tin of ghee and some packets of cardamom as his luggage, which he hoped to sell in the Dubai market. Rest is history. Now 64-years-old, Basantani owns the Yugoslavian Furniture company and has built a prosperous life for himself and family in the UAE capital.
But decades later, the 'ship story' lives on. It is now the turn of Basantani's elder daughter Sarika to narrate it to her children, Ranveer, 6 and Naisa, 3 - the third generation of Basantanis in the UAE.
"After hearing the story, now my kids say they also want to go in a ship like their nanu (grandfather). Airplanes do not excite them," says Sarika Aidasani, who works as a public relations professional.
Having lived all her life in Abu Dhabi, Sarika says her heart belongs here.
"I had once moved to Cameroon with my husband but it was difficult and we came back to the UAE. If you have lived in this country, you will not want to live anywhere else," says the mother of two.
UAE and India: Ties that bind
From taking the Abra to owning a BentleyBasantani's younger daughter, Sonam, who is a beauty writer based in Dubai, says her father's early years have been both humbling and inspirational for her. "He worked hard - saw ups and downs, found strength in his family and friends. It is a true tale of hard work and motivation. I don't think my father had imagined how far he would have come, or how his family would make the UAE our home, but we're glad he had the courage and took the risk," says Sonam.
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