Love for food, ‘easy going feel’ take Emiratis to Indian shores
When you speak to Emiratis about their experience of travelling to India, a lot of them offer insights you hadn’t thought about, little anecdotes and memories, some of which bust some stereotypes.
For one, conversation goes beyond love for Shah Rukh Khan (a love exceeded only by a love of butter chicken). Emiratis love India so much that a common theme at Emirati weddings, did you know, is a ‘henna night’, where women wear bangles, Indian-style dresses, and have their palms temporarily tattooed with henna — all very Indian, the mehndi night right out of a Karan Johar/ Yash Chopra movie. But that’s women for you. Across gender though, food really does crop up often, and not just butter chicken, the shorthand for ‘Indian food’.
A 26-year-old Dubai-bred pilot with a UAE-based airline, Marwan Al Owghani, went to Mumbai in 2016 and loved “the easy going feel”. And growing especially passionate about the food, Marwan “never knew something called pani puri existed!”
Since his Mumbai trip, Marwan’s been checking out pani puri joints in Dubai in search of the best one. He’s not unfamiliar with Indian food, “but to have Indian food in India was a different experience. Pav bhaji became a favourite of mine, even though I usually avoid vegetables.” Marwan also said, “I am a pilot. I travel around the world but what I ate in India beats everything else I’ve tried.”
Surely there must have been something that was not an altogether pleasant experience? Okay, he says, “I used to complain about Dubai traffic, but oh, Mumbai ... ” Even a short five-day visit to India gave Marwan perspective enough to pass for an Incredible India advert.
Hello, hospitals
It’s no secret that Emiratis have faith in Indian doctors and the hospital facilities there. It just becomes more apparent when every second Emirati you speak to, it turns out, has been to India or knows someone who’s been to India, not for a vacation, but for medical tourism — to a speciality centre in Bengaluru or Mumbai.
Dr Suhail Kazim, group medical director for Medcare Hospitals and head of department of surgery (and yes, an Emirati), visits India frequently. He’s been to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kashmir. Dr Kazim loves the fact that in Mumbai, people are so active, “doing yoga and walking on Marine Drive at 4.30am”.
According to him, “Many (Emiratis) like to go to India for treatment, as they feel more ‘at home’ there with the language”. He also says though that “the number of people going to India, or anywhere abroad for medical treatment has reduced a lot, and is not what it used to be in the past. Healthcare in the UAE has started to progress by leaps and bounds”. Exact statistics are difficult to come by, but “it’s quite common for Emiratis to go for comprehensive check-ups and for cardiac diseases (to India), as time and cost play a major role in their choice as well”.
Nooh Al Sayegh, 36, a project manager with Emirates group has been to India at least five times. The medical tourism angle bubbles up here, too. In the 1990s, Nooh would accompany his dad on hospital visits to Mumbai. (They used to stay at the Taj near the Gateway of India in SoBo — south Bombay — but, of late, Arabs are spread out closer to hospitals and the airport, in Bandra and Juhu). Nooh travels to Mumbai on work, as well.
And despite Dubai being an unparalleled retail destination, shopping in Mumbai is often on the agenda. Nooh, for one, likes to stock up on perfumes. The fragrance of ‘Dehn El Oud’, for instance, bought from Hajji Ali, Mumbai, he says, is more concentrated, of a better quality, and hence more desirable.
But we wonder what’s with everyone talking about Mumbai or Bengaluru or Delhi?’ There is an India beyond the big cities. So why isn’t anyone travelling there?
A local who didn’t want to be quoted said, “You have to understand — we Emiratis travel heavy. Changing domestic flights within India becomes a problem, as they allow only limited baggage. Then there’s the issue of convenience, and prayers — the women don’t want to be inconvenienced by a lack of amenities, which they fear India will be full of.”
Speaking broadly, he also said, there’s also a preference for luxury holidays, a 5-star resort. Daytrips to quaint smaller towns with a lot of history largely elicit something of a ‘meh’ reaction. Cities are convenient.