WAITING TO FLY

“You are way above the limit. The security may not allow you to go with so many pieces of luggage.” The tall Arab gentlemen, his pretty wife, three sons, one daughter, a music system, a microwave, a washing machine, a television, several strapped boxes and an unending line of carry bags, were as it is creating enough confusion. Egypt Air allows 50 kilos per passenger which is a lot - but obviously not enough when you want to take home the entire Gandhamadan Parvat( like Hanuman). “Too many pieces of luggage,” the manager hollered again but the man stared back vacantly.

What could be his story I wondered. It didn’t seem like he was going home on a holiday. He was moving house. Back to Egypt from Dubai? Another job loss? Another dream ending in a dash? I felt sorry for him, though it may be quite misplaced. I felt awkward actually. Standing there waiting for my holiday to flag off right beside a family who seemed to be going through some unsettling times. But then I could do little else than feeling sorry – and sticking out like a profound but useless facebook status comment. I decided to enjoy the moment instead. We had a good two hours to kill. Still groggy and a little squeamish from the early sand model rounds we decided to explore the Marhaba Services.

Marhaba is an Arabic word for 'welcome'. It is a facilitation service from Danata which runs the Dubai Emirates (Danata is an affiliate group of the Emirates and Emirates is owned by the government of Dubai. Here everything ultimately belongs to the govt. in a simple linear equation.)

“Good idea! Let’s also observe Roza today!”

Fasting for Bongs(like us) had only one connotation- eating fast. We could start in right earnest with the Suhoor ( Marhaba had an entire buffet of steaming pastas and curries in addition to cereals and sandwiches) and see how the rest of the day unfolded. We couldn’t have hurried through the meal if we wanted to gorge up for the day. I picked up several magazines from the Lounge rack to whet my appetite.

And what did I learn among other things?

1. The great merchant families of UAE trace their origin to 1920’s- many from Iran (as also from India). The Arab families like the Al Futtaim, Al Habtoor and Al Gurairs with their social contacts with the ruling class have played in billions, their family businesses running over a century – an enduring feature of all GCC countries. Some debt fuelled expansions back fired in recent times putting these traditional businesses models under scanner. A lot will change in the business world people conjecture especially the way it will be conducted in the future. For instance businesses looking to raise funds through an IPO will change the entire business culture...Will some synthesis emerge is what we have to wait and watch.

2. Irans’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has recently remarked that secular minded lectures are taking away young Arab Muslims from their religious texts. Therefore such fields as liberal arts or social sciences should be purged from the syllabus. Wow! I am dying to see another bunch of fanatics grow up on pure religious dictats. It hasn’t been a month that Hamid Karzai took out a new legislation on women who fail to satisfy their men in bed. They will forgo all maintenance. I was shocked enough to read that, and now this. I can vouch that the ordinary Afganis (from the north- because that is the place I visited) are as respectful of their women as anyone else in the world. An ordinary Arab wants to explore the world as much as anyone else. What is taking us away from true growth and wisdom? Our liberal outlook to life or the dictats of the fanatics? How can we grow holistically without an equal amount of food for the body and the mind?

3. There was more news about the renewed attacks of the Taleban. The more I read about Afghanistan the more sorry I feel. Like the road from Kabul to Kandahar (built with 300 million dollars of American Aid money) which lies ripped off with landmines, so does the country. Zillion of aid money and expertise is being pumped into restructuring this nation but one attack and all those efforts go down the drain. Talibans strangling life out of highway7 was a news item... what is happening to the country is far worse. Commuters are compelled to suffer a 10 hour long bumpy gruelling ride from Kabul to Kandahar now. A whole generation is being maimed and crippled and they have to get going with the rest of their life on a rutted unsure path. With Helmont growing less poppy this year things will not change for Afg. Whatever feeds and grows fanatics like Taliban must be rooted out.