Kerala expats’ love of the UAE in new book
To be launched at Sharjah book fair today, it has inspiring accounts of ‘old-time’ Malayalis
More than a million expats from the south Indian state of Kerala have made the UAE their home in the past five decades.
But who are the Malayalis who first set sail to this country? How many of them, who were here during the formation of the Union in 1971, are still living here?
What have been their experiences and contributions to the UAE?
A new book in their mother tongue Malayalam now tells stories of 16 such Malayali expats who have lived in the UAE for over 45 years.
M. Firos Khan, an Indian journalist who worked in Dubai when the UAE turned 45 in 2016, has penned the book
Marubhoomiye Pranayichavar
(Those who fell in love with the desert).
From P.A. Ebrahim Haji, who landed in the erstwhile Trucial States in 1966, and Dr George Mathew, who went on to obtain UAE citizenship, to Abdul Khader, who arrived here when he was just 14, and M.M.K. Nair who climbed the ladders to be the only non-Arab bank signatory of Dubai Airports, these expats have had myriad experiences in this dream land.
Stories of Baba Dawood, who was a witness to the formation of the Union, V.N.K. Ahmad Haji, an environmentalist who came here via Pakistan, Abu Bakr Manaf, who has been working with the same company for 47 years, make an interesting read.
Stories of growth
But for author Khan, the book is not just a narration of their biographies. It also presents a comprehensive account of the social and economic growth of both their motherland and their second home.
He had featured these veteran expats in a series that he wrote during his four-year stint as the bureau chief of Gulf Madhyamam newspaper in Dubai.
“They had many things in common, most importantly, the love for this desert land,” said Khan. “Their hard work and resilience that enabled them to fulfil their desire to thrive here are qualities that the young generations should learn from.”
Published by Lipi Publications, the book will be released at the Writers’ Forum at the Sharjah International Book Fair at 8.30pm today.