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Dubai musician and entrepreneur granted 10-year UAE Golden Visa

Dubai - Indian expat Niki Mukhi was granted Golden Visa in the art and cultural category.

Niki Mukhi, an Indian expat born in Dubai, a musician is the latest in the list who have received the UAE's coveted golden residence visa for 10 years. Niki received the visa in the art and cultural category.

“I am honoured and thankful to have received the Golden Visa for my work as an artist and composer,” Mukhi said.

“I am delighted and proud to receive this. The UAE is a truly welcoming place with a diverse and thriving art-loving community,” he added.

A resident of Jumeirah in Dubai, Mukhi’s interest in music grew at a very young age. He was exposed to and taught various genres of music by his brothers, Pavan, Pravin and Pritam.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, he said “My parents and brothers were quite encouraging in my teenage to learn music,”

Mukhi along with his brother Pavan and friends, Raad Haider and Levent Ali co-founded the social music platform Brapp, which enables artists and producers to connect and collaborate beyond geographical, musical and financial barriers.

The Dubai artiste has composed several scores for international plays in the UK and Spain and has also performed in over 50 cities. Mukhi has also recorded scores for BBC TV & Radio documentaries and worked with leading jazz, flamenco, Indian, classical, electronic and pop artists around the world.

Mukhi performed the UAE National Anthem on a slide guitar, in Indian classical music style, from the Taj Mahal, in collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai celebrating the UAE National Day in 2019. He said that it is a great honour to celebrate both, his home (UAE) and his heritage (India) through the universal language of music.

Mukhi has been a part of many cultural events across the UAE. “I collaborated with Dubai Tourism and created a live performance at Dubai Creek, during sunrise, which clocked 4 million views on YouTube,” Niki said.

He also performed with Indian singer Sonu Nigam in the first socially distanced Bollywood event at the Dubai World Trade Centre Arena in 2020.

Ever since the UAE government implemented the Golden Visa system in 2019, several Indians have received its benefits. A Golden Visa is issued for five or 10 years and renewed automatically.

The UAE's Golden Visa allows foreigners to live, work and study in the country for a long period without the need of a national sponsor and with 100 per cent ownership of their businesses here.

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com