Dubai..Tall glazed buildings..multi-storeyed flats...blazing sun..crowded streets..an indian face every corner...and a mallu voice echoing in almost every business enterprise!!
Though i spent just a day in dubai....she(dubai) mesmerized me with her arabic essence filled buildings,sun kissed beaches, luxury hotels,"air-conditioned" bus stops,and a mouthwatering array of multi cuisine restaurants.Its truly a "hot-spot" tourist destination after my very own..."kerala".
The moment we reached dubai, my cousin thankfully took us to a restaurant called "NAALU KETTU"..which signifies a "Tharavadu veedu"(ancestral home) in malayalam.True to its name, the restaurant was a hub of the entire mallu population in dubai...My cousin seemed to know almost every face in the room...As we hungrily dug into "chappathi and pozhicha kozhi",(highly recommended by my cousins wife!)...i realised how much the malayalees had learnt to accept "Dubai" as their "kochhu keralam".
Dubai displayed prosperity,flourishing enterprises,busy life styles,fascinating people, in every street...The looming "AL-JAZEERA" luxury hotel has a state of the art helipad cum tennis court on its terrace...facing the emerald coloured sea.The entrance fee to the hotel itself was about 100 dinars.(1 dinar=12 indian rupees).
The dubai visit concluded with an amazing twilight rustic boat ride.
As the boat reached the bank, i saw indian junta(most probably labourers), sitting cozily on stone platforms located near the bank, who seem to have come to the Dubai in search of riches,with a dreamy look in their eyes...
or .. maybe it was a "longing look in the eyes"...thinking about their near and dear ones....back in india....
NOTE:
Pozhicha kozhi means "fried chicken" in malayalam.
Kochhu Keralam...in malayalam means "Tiny Kerala".
I happen to hear that the working condition of the labourers in Dubai was pathetic and that they were subjected to harsh treatments.
