FATHER TO SON: TWO GENERATIONS AT KT
Unlike his father Sasidharan Nair, Aravind has a slightly different outlook on his life as a delivery boy.
“I was born the same year my dad joined Khaleej Times as a delivery boy, and I grew up hearing stories about Dubai… But when I got here, I was truly amazed at how sprawling the city is,” said Aravind.
The 23-year-old joined KT five months ago and delivers approximately 110 newspapers to Karama. “After I graduated from Grade 12, I decided to come to Dubai to earn a better living. I wasn’t earning much in India, and my father had told us so much about the job,” said Aravind.
Also unlike his father, Aravind works with customers who are tech- savvy and want content that is different from what they read online. He said: “We get great inputs from our subscribers. They always let us know what additional thing they want in the paper.”
Like Aravind, 22-year-old Mohammed Nizamuddin also followed his father Mohammed Zohoor’s footsteps to Khaleej Times. Nizamuddin has been with KT for two years and delivers 140 newspapers to offices and residential towers on Sheikh Zayed Road. “SZR is a road that never sleeps. I usually take two rounds on SZR… First, I complete the residential towers from 3 am to 5.30 am, and then I deliver in the office towers till 7.30 am,” said Nizamuddin.
The younger boys added that the paper is always punctual and they almost always complete their delivery on time.
“Except for National Day and New Year’s Eve or in the case of any extraordinary event, we always finish work by 7 am,” said Aravind and Nizamuddin.
One of the nicer perks of his job is the incredible vistas Nizamuddin enjoys on Sheikh Zayed Road.
“Sometimes I go to highrise towers, and I always catch a glorious sunrise from some of these towers,” he added.