UAE National Day: Expats deck up their cars

Dubai - An Indian businessman from Kerala says he has been decorating his vehicles for nine years

Seeing UAE as their home away from home, several expats regularly participate in the country's National Day celebrations.
Two such expats who have been regularly decorating their luxury cars are Iqbal Hameed of the Alia Al Hathboor Group and Ameer Kappil, an Abu Dhabi-based car dealer.
Iqbal Hameed has decorated his Ferrari with pictures of the UAE's leader, flag, coins and calligraphy of the national anthem. "This is the seventh year that I am participating in the National Day parade with my decorated car," he says.
My wife is an Emirati, who helps me in decorating the car. Iqbal has won prizes for his participation in the parades and is featured in many Indian television channels for his active participation in the UAE National Day.
"We start preparing three months in advance. Professional designers execute our design ideas, and our decorated Ferrari Italia 458 is already attracting a lot of social media attention," he says.
"This is my way of expressing love and dedication to this great nation. I have been living here for many years, witnessing the progress achieved by the nation.
On the other hand, Ameer, an Indian businessman from Kasargodu, Kerala, says has been decorating his vehicles for nine years, and this year too his sports car is decorated with the UAE flags and pictures of UAE leaders.
"I have been living in the UAE for 19 years. All the prosperity that I have achieved in my business and personal life is due to the prosperity witnessed here over the years," Ameer told Khaleej Times.
"For the first few years, I could decorate only with a few good stickers because I did not have enough money to fully decorate my car. Initially, I used to spend just Dh200 to Dh500 for decorating my car, but now I can afford to have the full vehicle decorated, spending a few thousand dirhams," he says.
"My brother Kappil Khan and car designer Gopan have helped me in decorating the car, and I am ready for the car rally on December 2 on Abu Dhabi corniche. Many of my Emirati friends are also happy seeing an Indian dedicate time and energy to celebrate the national day."

• UAE