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'It was just surreal': Indian family meets Dubai Ruler in elevator, takes photos with them
'Too short of a ride' for this family, as they shared an elevator with the royal on his birthday
We've probably all done it, imagined someone's face before the lift opens up, a sort of mental preview of who might enter next. But the city's Ruler might have been a distant thought for many. Let alone a sighting of the royal on his birthday.
This was not the case for Indian entrepreneur, Anas Rahman Junaid, as him and his family got a surprise of a lifetime when they were joined on an elevator by none other than the Ruler of Dubai.
The entrepreneur was riding the elevator from the 22nd floor of Atlantis The Royal with his wife and two children on Saturday, when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai stepped in along with his entourage.
“We were shocked,” said Anas, speaking to Khaleej Times. “He stepped into the lift and was very friendly. He put his arms around my daughter and asked her if she knew who he was.”
The Ruler also chatted with the family and posed for a photograph before leaving, sending the family into a tizzy of excitement.
Anas said his 10-year-old daughter Mishel, and his 7-year-old son Daniyal, were as excited as him and his wife, Thanzeem, to meet the leader. “When we stepped off the elevator, all of us were jumping in excitement,” he said.
“We could not believe that we had actually met him and spoke to him. In fact, my wife later took a photo of the lift and shared it on social media saying it was her most favourite lift in the world. We then sent the photos with him to our school friends and family groups before posting on social media,” said Anas.
Too short a ride
The family, who divide their time between Dubai and Mumbai, were in the city for a two-week vacation and were staying at the Atlantis The Royal when the incident occurred. They had taken the elevator to get to the ground floor from their 22nd floor room. When the lift stopped at the 21st floor, Sheikh Mohammed stepped in with his team.
According to Anas, he was blown away by the way Sheikh Mohammed interacted with them. “I had heard of him being friendly with people but to experience it was something different. After speaking to my daughter, he turned to us and asked us where we were from and what we do. After that, he kindly obliged for a photograph. My son usually doesn’t smile for photographs but this time he had the biggest smile on his face,” he said.
Anas said that his biggest regret was not wishing the Ruler a happy birthday. “We knew it was his birthday but when we saw him in the lift with us, we could not remember anything,” he said. “It was just so surreal; we were all so excited and everything happened so suddenly. It was only 20 floors, and the elevator was so quick. It was too short a ride for us.”
Sheikh Mohammed, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, is well-known for interacting with the general public and has often surprised residents and visitors by chatting to them and posing for photographs.
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