The Arabian Paradise- A Fantasy Or A Deception?
As the sun stretches the horizon, let’s sit side by side until the city arises.
As the salty aroma of the ocean blue embraces the warmth of the sandy dunes,
the city bustles and dives into its zest.
A poem of reminiscence?
Or
The rekindled emotions of an Indian kid raised in the Arabian land?
HOME is a place where you belong…where every drop of chaos makes an ocean full of memories. The very thought of bidding adieu to its backdrop of comfort and warmth can trigger a jittery feeling inside the stomach.
As a kid brought up in the land of petrichor, migration to Gulf wasn’t a ride of joy. But believe it or not, my very first step onto the dreary earth of Oman splintered my brittle imagination, replacing it with an amazing one.
Well, the deserts weren’t as deserted as they seem to be!
The chocolaty tint on the pastel coloured background of the high-rises was much alike icing on a cake.
The turquoise sea lining the sands on one side and the mountains vanishing into the limitless sky on the other, captivates the imagination of every backpacker.
Clearing out the misconceptions of our dwelling in the Arabian nights is a habitual task tackled by every NRI.
It can often take a chucklesome turn!
Dubai, Muscat….all the same right??
Well it’s inevitable to highlight the fact that Dubai is not a synonym of the Gulf!
There is Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Muscat and others, each with their own profound traditions and picturesque landscapes.
Salalah- a misnomer to the very definition of a desert!
The misty Greenland among the arid landscape of Oman can be called as a little Kerala. The seasonal unraveling of lush greenery with gentle rain enthralls many tourists across the world. Palm trees? Nah, coconut trees adorn the walkways in this city!
Consider this useless fact:
The Burj Khalifa is so tall that you can watch the sunset from the base of the building, take an elevator to the top and watch the sunset all over again!
(P.S. : It isn’t as cheap as it sounds to even make an entry!)
And then there’s the grandma’s joke (a real old one)!
You ride to school on camels??
The journey through the Arabian roads is as ethereal as its destination.
Stuck head to head on a traffic jam? The foremost things expected are a few angry honks, squabbles and aggression. But startling as it may seem, the crowd in Gulf remains unruffled by the obstacles in their journey. No cacophony of honks to disrupt the tranquility of the setting.
In retrospect, the place madly flips our notions of driving etiquettes and traffic rules!
Then of course there are the sheikhs.
The perception of every NRI being filthy rich reaches its high noon when the the following question follows … “you must be friends with the sheikhs right?”
Sadly enough, not everyone is capable of putting on a rich hat!
It isn’t difficult to spot men and women getting their hands and clothes soiled as they work in the heat and dust, as the sun remains unkind to them. The gloomy shades of being parted from their son, wife, or parents lucidly reflects in their eyes.
It’s the drop of sweat laid down by each one of them that has helped to build the land of dreams, brick by brick!
Now coming to the food…
That rib tickling moment when you realize that the best place in your hometown that serves shawarma, in reality, sold sandwiches and frankies!
SHAWARMA- the 8 letter word that stirs up a ruffle of complex emotions in every NRI. Nothing like the heavenly aroma of shawarma flitting towards you to make you drool instantly!
Kuboos with cheese, Kuboos with omelette, Kuboos with tortillas, Kuboos with butter paneer, the list is endless. The multifunctional flat bread of Kuboos blends in with every savoury to serve you with nothing short of an adventurous dinner…or maybe breakfast (as you wish)!
As for the weather,
Deserts have winters too?
Clearly someone has skipped a crucial part of the geography text book!
It’s either an oven or a tolerable ice box!
Deserts receive occasional rains too, during climatic changes. And these rains are as anticipated as they are dreaded, since the downpour either heals every wound, or ends up causing havoc.
And the NIGHTS, oh the nights….
The dune bashing and overnight camping under the starlit skies is a roller coaster ride that every seasoned thrill seeker longs for. Woollen fabrics are a must to find warmth, as the cool breeze sends chills down your spine.
And finally. The cliche question:
Do you speak Arabic?
A FLASH OF REALIZATION! “Mafi malum Arabic” is the only sentence that was ever required for our survival!
Jokes apart, there’s absolutely no doubt about the fact that Gulf is indeed the Land of Dreams. Where every iconic landmark enunciates a gazillion stories of passion, love, dreams and bonds, which have laid the foundation of this never never land: The land where, dreams have manifested into reality!
Ironically, the strange desert land that welcomed the tenant now fits into his very definition of a perfect home!
