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Meet the Bangladeshi abra captain who ferried Sheikh Mohammed
Dubai - The Dubai Ruler and his team took a ride on abra no. 60 across the creek.
Allam added: "I felt very honoured to steer the boat for Sheikh Mohammed. He shook my hand firmly and asked me how I was and all I was able to say was 'salaam alaikum'.
The veteran abra captain of 13 years, however, showed composure as he was ferrying Sheikh Mohammed and company. "My hands were steady and I docked the boat very carefully. The whole trip from Old Souq to Gold Souq took around five minutes but I felt it was the proudest and happiest five minutes of my life - I was ferrying one of the greatest leaders in the world," Allam expressed happily.
Allam, who lives in Al Ras along Dubai Creek and earns over Dh1,000 a month in commission, has a wife and two kids, aged 10 and four, back home in Bangladesh. "I haven't called my wife and kids yet but I will definitely have a very nice story to tell them. Some people have actually been taking pictures with me and others asked: "Where is the boat number 60," he said.
Allam's friends also felt very proud of their 'famous' colleague. Ashiskanti Paul and Al Mammun Jaaheir, both from Bangladesh, said Allam is a very hardworking man. "Our work is very hard especially during summer but when we get recognition, we feel very happy and with Sheikh Mohammed coming to the Creek, we feel that we are really doing good," the duo added.
It was, however, not the first time that a Dubai royal has recognised abra captains. In April last year, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, also took the abra and broadcast it live on social media to his more than 6 million followers on Instagram. He even called Pakistani expat Mubashar Zahoor Ellahi the "best captain".
Mubashar, for his part, told Khaleej Times: "It was such a big honour when Sheikh Hamdan came to me and patted my back. It was a reassurance and a reward that, as an expat, I'm doing a good job."
angel@khaleejtimes.com
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