Saturday, 25 May 2013
Friday, 24 May 2013
Well behaved in Dubai
Dubai has tamed many a smart cookie from India .
Say what you like but all the bravado and DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM / DO YOU KNOW WHO I KNOW vanishes once you enter a government building here in the UAE .
An immediate transformation takes place and Indian lions become sheep.
I clearly remember my visit to the Immigration department- a large building with hundreds of cars parked outside and hundreds of people inside .
No tea shops with clerks who are supposed to be at their counter having tea .
No pan shops selling pan .
One enters the building and reads the signs for the various counters .
No one asks questions as the directions are clear .
No PAN stains in the corners , no smell of urine anywhere - not even in the washrooms which are as clean as a 5 star hotel and very little noise if any at all. And no one is seen smoking .
The hall where visas were made was large, spotless and airy.
Long benches were placed perpendicular to all the counters which were all manned .
When you entered you were expected to switch off your mobile and almost everyone did that without questioning .
Many put it in silent / vibrate mode and f they took / made a call there was no yelling to hear what they were saying .
You usually take a token .
You take you place on the bench and watch proceedings.
A man goes to the counter only after his token number appears on the screen
He stands quietly and answers questions . No - he does not argue - does not try to bribe the clerk - talks politely and in undertones . He signs when told to sign , pays when told to pay, takes his papers and moves on.
He does not ask to see the boss even if there is a problem
If his forms are incomplete he moves aside and completes them . If he is sent to another window and has to line up again he does it without a murmur.
He does not phone a friend to phone the clerk and request/ threaten/ put pressure on him !
As soon as he gets up everyone seated on the bench slides one place closer to the counter - there is no talk - no pushing , shoving , jostling for position nothing . Its quiet and peaceful .
The tough talking brat who throws his weight around in his motherland , India, is a different sort of person here .
He is a well behaved expat.!
Say what you like but all the bravado and DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM / DO YOU KNOW WHO I KNOW vanishes once you enter a government building here in the UAE .
An immediate transformation takes place and Indian lions become sheep.
I clearly remember my visit to the Immigration department- a large building with hundreds of cars parked outside and hundreds of people inside .
No tea shops with clerks who are supposed to be at their counter having tea .
No pan shops selling pan .
One enters the building and reads the signs for the various counters .
No one asks questions as the directions are clear .
No PAN stains in the corners , no smell of urine anywhere - not even in the washrooms which are as clean as a 5 star hotel and very little noise if any at all. And no one is seen smoking .
The hall where visas were made was large, spotless and airy.
Long benches were placed perpendicular to all the counters which were all manned .
When you entered you were expected to switch off your mobile and almost everyone did that without questioning .
Many put it in silent / vibrate mode and f they took / made a call there was no yelling to hear what they were saying .
You usually take a token .
You take you place on the bench and watch proceedings.
A man goes to the counter only after his token number appears on the screen
He stands quietly and answers questions . No - he does not argue - does not try to bribe the clerk - talks politely and in undertones . He signs when told to sign , pays when told to pay, takes his papers and moves on.
He does not ask to see the boss even if there is a problem
If his forms are incomplete he moves aside and completes them . If he is sent to another window and has to line up again he does it without a murmur.
He does not phone a friend to phone the clerk and request/ threaten/ put pressure on him !
As soon as he gets up everyone seated on the bench slides one place closer to the counter - there is no talk - no pushing , shoving , jostling for position nothing . Its quiet and peaceful .
The tough talking brat who throws his weight around in his motherland , India, is a different sort of person here .
He is a well behaved expat.!
Well behaved in Dubai
Dubai has tamed many a smart cookie from India .
Say what you like but all the bravado and DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM / DO YOU KNOW WHO I KNOW vanishes once you enter a government building here in the UAE .
An immediate transformation takes place and Indian lions become sheep.
I clearly remember my visit to the Immigration department- a large building with hundreds of cars parked outside and hundreds of people inside .
No tea shops with clerks who are supposed to be at their counter having tea .
No pan shops selling pan .
One enters the building and reads the signs for the various counters .
No one asks questions as the directions are clear .
No PAN stains in the corners , no smell of urine anywhere - not even in the washrooms which are as clean as a 5 star hotel and very little noise if any at all. And no one is seen smoking .
The hall where visas were made was large, spotless and airy.
Long benches were placed perpendicular to all the counters which were all manned .
When you entered you were expected to switch off your mobile and almost everyone did that without questioning .
Many put it in silent / vibrate mode and f they took / made a call there was no yelling to hear what they were saying .
You usually take a token .
You take you place on the bench and watch proceedings.
A man goes to the counter only after his token number appears on the screen
He stands quietly and answers questions . No - he does not argue - does not try to bribe the clerk - talks politely and in undertones . He signs when told to sign , pays when told to pay, takes his papers and moves on.
He does not ask to see the boss even if there is a problem
If his forms are incomplete he moves aside and completes them . If he is sent to another window and has to line up again he does it without a murmur.
He does not phone a friend to phone the clerk and request/ threaten/ put pressure on him !
As soon as he gets up everyone seated on the bench slides one place closer to the counter - there is no talk - no pushing , shoving , jostling for position nothing . Its quiet and peaceful .
The tough talking brat who throws his weight around in his motherland , India, is a different sort of person here .
He is a well behaved expat.!
Say what you like but all the bravado and DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM / DO YOU KNOW WHO I KNOW vanishes once you enter a government building here in the UAE .
An immediate transformation takes place and Indian lions become sheep.
I clearly remember my visit to the Immigration department- a large building with hundreds of cars parked outside and hundreds of people inside .
No tea shops with clerks who are supposed to be at their counter having tea .
No pan shops selling pan .
One enters the building and reads the signs for the various counters .
No one asks questions as the directions are clear .
No PAN stains in the corners , no smell of urine anywhere - not even in the washrooms which are as clean as a 5 star hotel and very little noise if any at all. And no one is seen smoking .
The hall where visas were made was large, spotless and airy.
Long benches were placed perpendicular to all the counters which were all manned .
When you entered you were expected to switch off your mobile and almost everyone did that without questioning .
Many put it in silent / vibrate mode and f they took / made a call there was no yelling to hear what they were saying .
You usually take a token .
You take you place on the bench and watch proceedings.
A man goes to the counter only after his token number appears on the screen
He stands quietly and answers questions . No - he does not argue - does not try to bribe the clerk - talks politely and in undertones . He signs when told to sign , pays when told to pay, takes his papers and moves on.
He does not ask to see the boss even if there is a problem
If his forms are incomplete he moves aside and completes them . If he is sent to another window and has to line up again he does it without a murmur.
He does not phone a friend to phone the clerk and request/ threaten/ put pressure on him !
As soon as he gets up everyone seated on the bench slides one place closer to the counter - there is no talk - no pushing , shoving , jostling for position nothing . Its quiet and peaceful .
The tough talking brat who throws his weight around in his motherland , India, is a different sort of person here .
He is a well behaved expat.!
Lucknow airport and the Indian babu
Last year I had gone to India to recruit teachers.
Now let me give you a little background .
My hometown is Allahabad so that is what is mentioned in my passport.
Place of residence is now shown as Dubai as that is where the PP was renewed.
I had travelled to Chennai, Delhi and Lucknow and had to fly back to Dubai from Lucknow.
Its 2 .00 am and there is only one flight leaving Lucknow at that time - for Dubai ( its a small airport ).
Its Air India ( what else can it be ) and Lucknow has a small airport.
Long queue - mostly workers moving to Dubai.
Then I reach the counter and stand there for a few minutes.
The clerk behind the counter looks up from over the rim of his spectacles .
The conversation that follows takes place in Hindi ..................
I am asked my name - full name
Date of birth??
Place of birth??
Present residence - I answer Dubai
Reason for travel- I answer Work.
By now my blood is boiling but I try hard to remain calm.
Now start the howlers.
This is what he said - in Hindi.
If I am from Allahabad - lived in Dubai , entered India 8 days ago from Chennai then WHY was I exiting from Lucknow !!!
I swallowed hard and could not believe that this guy had the audacity to ask such moronic questions .
You want to know what I did then ????
No your wrong
I worked out the puzzle for him- slowly and peacefully and confidently.
He smiled as if he was now going to stump me with the 1 crore question..............
WHERE ARE YOU FLYING TO was his question.
That was when I put my hand luggage down - looked him in the eye and asked him how many flights were leaving within the next hour or for that matter for the next 8 hours.
He said - one flight - to Dubai
So I said - YES sir- that is the flight I am catching .
He then asked me to stand in the center of the counter so that he could look carefully lest some other angle made me look like a T......T
With a flourish he then stamped the passport- looked again and said NEXT ...................
Even when I think back now - my blood races through my veins ..........................
So much for the Indian babu .
Now let me give you a little background .
My hometown is Allahabad so that is what is mentioned in my passport.
Place of residence is now shown as Dubai as that is where the PP was renewed.
I had travelled to Chennai, Delhi and Lucknow and had to fly back to Dubai from Lucknow.
Its 2 .00 am and there is only one flight leaving Lucknow at that time - for Dubai ( its a small airport ).
Its Air India ( what else can it be ) and Lucknow has a small airport.
Long queue - mostly workers moving to Dubai.
Then I reach the counter and stand there for a few minutes.
The clerk behind the counter looks up from over the rim of his spectacles .
The conversation that follows takes place in Hindi ..................
I am asked my name - full name
Date of birth??
Place of birth??
Present residence - I answer Dubai
Reason for travel- I answer Work.
By now my blood is boiling but I try hard to remain calm.
Now start the howlers.
This is what he said - in Hindi.
If I am from Allahabad - lived in Dubai , entered India 8 days ago from Chennai then WHY was I exiting from Lucknow !!!
I swallowed hard and could not believe that this guy had the audacity to ask such moronic questions .
You want to know what I did then ????
No your wrong
I worked out the puzzle for him- slowly and peacefully and confidently.
He smiled as if he was now going to stump me with the 1 crore question..............
WHERE ARE YOU FLYING TO was his question.
That was when I put my hand luggage down - looked him in the eye and asked him how many flights were leaving within the next hour or for that matter for the next 8 hours.
He said - one flight - to Dubai
So I said - YES sir- that is the flight I am catching .
He then asked me to stand in the center of the counter so that he could look carefully lest some other angle made me look like a T......T
With a flourish he then stamped the passport- looked again and said NEXT ...................
Even when I think back now - my blood races through my veins ..........................
So much for the Indian babu .
Lucknow airport and the Indian babu
Last year I had gone to India to recruit teachers.
Now let me give you a little background .
My hometown is Allahabad so that is what is mentioned in my passport.
Place of residence is now shown as Dubai as that is where the PP was renewed.
I had travelled to Chennai, Delhi and Lucknow and had to fly back to Dubai from Lucknow.
Its 2 .00 am and there is only one flight leaving Lucknow at that time - for Dubai ( its a small airport ).
Its Air India ( what else can it be ) and Lucknow has a small airport.
Long queue - mostly workers moving to Dubai.
Then I reach the counter and stand there for a few minutes.
The clerk behind the counter looks up from over the rim of his spectacles .
The conversation that follows takes place in Hindi ..................
I am asked my name - full name
Date of birth??
Place of birth??
Present residence - I answer Dubai
Reason for travel- I answer Work.
By now my blood is boiling but I try hard to remain calm.
Now start the howlers.
This is what he said - in Hindi.
If I am from Allahabad - lived in Dubai , entered India 8 days ago from Chennai then WHY was I exiting from Lucknow !!!
I swallowed hard and could not believe that this guy had the audacity to ask such moronic questions .
You want to know what I did then ????
No your wrong
I worked out the puzzle for him- slowly and peacefully and confidently.
He smiled as if he was now going to stump me with the 1 crore question..............
WHERE ARE YOU FLYING TO was his question.
That was when I put my hand luggage down - looked him in the eye and asked him how many flights were leaving within the next hour or for that matter for the next 8 hours.
He said - one flight - to Dubai
So I said - YES sir- that is the flight I am catching .
He then asked me to stand in the center of the counter so that he could look carefully lest some other angle made me look like a T......T
With a flourish he then stamped the passport- looked again and said NEXT ...................
Even when I think back now - my blood races through my veins ..........................
So much for the Indian babu .
Now let me give you a little background .
My hometown is Allahabad so that is what is mentioned in my passport.
Place of residence is now shown as Dubai as that is where the PP was renewed.
I had travelled to Chennai, Delhi and Lucknow and had to fly back to Dubai from Lucknow.
Its 2 .00 am and there is only one flight leaving Lucknow at that time - for Dubai ( its a small airport ).
Its Air India ( what else can it be ) and Lucknow has a small airport.
Long queue - mostly workers moving to Dubai.
Then I reach the counter and stand there for a few minutes.
The clerk behind the counter looks up from over the rim of his spectacles .
The conversation that follows takes place in Hindi ..................
I am asked my name - full name
Date of birth??
Place of birth??
Present residence - I answer Dubai
Reason for travel- I answer Work.
By now my blood is boiling but I try hard to remain calm.
Now start the howlers.
This is what he said - in Hindi.
If I am from Allahabad - lived in Dubai , entered India 8 days ago from Chennai then WHY was I exiting from Lucknow !!!
I swallowed hard and could not believe that this guy had the audacity to ask such moronic questions .
You want to know what I did then ????
No your wrong
I worked out the puzzle for him- slowly and peacefully and confidently.
He smiled as if he was now going to stump me with the 1 crore question..............
WHERE ARE YOU FLYING TO was his question.
That was when I put my hand luggage down - looked him in the eye and asked him how many flights were leaving within the next hour or for that matter for the next 8 hours.
He said - one flight - to Dubai
So I said - YES sir- that is the flight I am catching .
He then asked me to stand in the center of the counter so that he could look carefully lest some other angle made me look like a T......T
With a flourish he then stamped the passport- looked again and said NEXT ...................
Even when I think back now - my blood races through my veins ..........................
So much for the Indian babu .
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Friday mornings in Dubai
Friday mornings in Dubai are eerie.
The reason is - the whole of the week one is used to noise- a mad rush in the traffic- traffic jams- no place to park- shopping for groceries etc.
Then comes Friday and Dubai sleeps all morning .
Till about 11 am an eerie silence pervades the city. People sleep late- you see no wasing on the balconies ! Car parks in malls are empty- car parks in residential are full - roads are dirty usually ( even the cleaners rest I guess ) .
Everyone seems to be making the most of it.
Then at about 11 there is a stirring.
Fathers, then mothers get up and start moving around - kids usually sleep till noon or later !
Super and hyper markets start filling up - washed clothes start making their appearance - cars start moving and gradually the whole city gets into motion.
Parks fill up with those eager to make the most of the last of the cool weather .
Kids go down for a swim- most residential buildings have pools .
By afternoon its madness again
Roads are full with everyone going everywhere .
Malls are mobbed - it seems like everyone is in every mall !
Its the weekend
Its the time to unwind and enjoy.
For my part - I cant sleep late - be it a week day or a weekend.
Friday morning I am usually up by 6.30 - tea , news papers and the laptop .
Boring ??
No- relaxing - its the weekend for me as well and I don't need to rush out
I enjoy the white space I mentioned in an earlier article- just being alone & doing nothing official !
The reason is - the whole of the week one is used to noise- a mad rush in the traffic- traffic jams- no place to park- shopping for groceries etc.
Then comes Friday and Dubai sleeps all morning .
Till about 11 am an eerie silence pervades the city. People sleep late- you see no wasing on the balconies ! Car parks in malls are empty- car parks in residential are full - roads are dirty usually ( even the cleaners rest I guess ) .
Everyone seems to be making the most of it.
Then at about 11 there is a stirring.
Fathers, then mothers get up and start moving around - kids usually sleep till noon or later !
Super and hyper markets start filling up - washed clothes start making their appearance - cars start moving and gradually the whole city gets into motion.
Parks fill up with those eager to make the most of the last of the cool weather .
Kids go down for a swim- most residential buildings have pools .
By afternoon its madness again
Roads are full with everyone going everywhere .
Malls are mobbed - it seems like everyone is in every mall !
Its the weekend
Its the time to unwind and enjoy.
For my part - I cant sleep late - be it a week day or a weekend.
Friday morning I am usually up by 6.30 - tea , news papers and the laptop .
Boring ??
No- relaxing - its the weekend for me as well and I don't need to rush out
I enjoy the white space I mentioned in an earlier article- just being alone & doing nothing official !
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