City of Cranes

A 2006 report in Gulf News said that Dubai has some 30,000 construction cranes, which is 24 per cent of the world's total. I wonder what would be the new figures given the maddening pace of construction in this part of the world.

Almost every immigrant in Dubai has a story to share, ranging from, "dry bushes beyond the Trade Centre on the Sheikh Zayed road" to "a handfull of restaurants in the city." Mind you all these stories are coming from people who have been in Dubai for not more than 15 years. This speaks a lot about the development of this port city. Dubai is increasingly finding favours with the business community around the world.

But everything comes at a price! The population too is on the rise and seems to be directionaly proportional to the cranes in the city. I heard on the radio some time back that 800 new residents are settling down in Dubai every day. No wonder the land prices and rentals are skyrocketing. What surprises me is that inspite of having so many hotels, there are times when it's hard to find a decent room for guests. As for the traffic here, the lesser said the better. It took me 3 hours once to reach Ajman from my place in Springs. In the name of construction, either the roads are digged open and so closed for the public or there are diversions because of flyovers coming up.

But, inspite of all these problems it's a beautiful city. No wonder some 200 nationalities are living here peacefully. The sheikhs have a vision and they are surely moving (or rather running) towards it. So until the goal is met the cranes will adorn the skyline of Dubai.

Not the Amitabh Bachchan I Admire

I heard a wise man saying,"The dogs keep barking but the elephant just walks away." Of late Mr Bachchan seems to have completely gone over-board with his replies to every Tom, Dick and Harry.

There was a time when silence was golden for both Mr Bachchan and his ardent fans. And it was his performance on screen which silenced his detractors. That Amitabh seems to have been eclipsed by a new age (MTV friendly) version of the superstar. The often demi-god status that Mr Bachchan enjoys is not just because of his films but his behaviour off-screen as well. As he lay fighting for his life during that terrible accident on the sets of coolie, the whole of India was praying for a man they both loved and admired. I was certainly one of those!

The equations changed for a while during his brief but controversial stint in politics on a friend's (Rajiv Gandhi) request. It was Congress then. He had to work hard to win back the trust of both his voters and some of his loyal fans. Amitabh publicily declared not to try his luck in politics again.

Unfortunately, he's doing it all over again. Jaya Bachchan has joined Samajwadi Party, he himself promotes the party indirectly in various poll campaigns, his son got an award from the SP led UP government, and his dauther opened an school in UP on a land purchased during SP's tenure. But the thing that most bothers me is his new found urge to reply each and everybody, as if promoting 'hajmola' (an Ayurvedic digestive medicine from Hamdard) wasn't enough!

Needless to say I'm pretty disappointed with his current showing. Amitabh Bachchab doesn't need a blog to reply to criticism now. He has nothing to prove after spending 40 glorius years in the industry. Perhaps Mr Bachchan should take a lesson or two on ageing gracefully from Yusuf Saheb!

Girls Of Riyadh

'Girls of Riyadh' is a novel by a young Saudi women Rajaa Alsanea. The novel created quite a noise here in the Middle East. For me it was a chance reading. A friend of mine gave it to me even as I had several lying at home, waiting to be read.

Well to start with, the novel may not be a great piece of literature but has its own strengths. The writer took a rather bold subject (more for the society she talks about) and handled it rather well. Her style of writing will especially appeal to the younger net savvy lot of which she herself is a part. The chapters are short and written in form of emails, something which makes for easier reading and also serve as effective bookmarks.

The story revolves around four girls who in a way represent a different section of the Saudi society. It's about the dreams of young women in a conservative society, role of women in a male dominated Islamic country, and the freedom to choose your own destiny. Sadeem Al-Horaimli, Gamrah Al-Qusmanji, Lamees Jeddawi, and Mashael Al-Abdulrahman (or Michelle) are the seldom unheard voices of a deeply religious nation. The novel talks freely of the girls' trials and tribulations in the matters of love and marriage. Their own friendship forms the core of the novel.

Alsanea surely has stirred up the hornest's nest with her view of the Saudi society, no wonder the book was promptly banned in the country. But she has done some service to her kind with this effort. This is what she wants her readers to see, "...little by little some of these women (in Saudi Arabia) are beginning to carve out their own way - not the Western way, but one that keeps what is good about the values of our religion and culture, while allowing for reform." And hers is a voice of reason too!

On a rather different note, the novel for some reason reminded me of Chetan Bhagat's style. Although he is a far better writer.

Being a first time effort from a 25 years old author, "Girls of Riyadh" is worth a read. I especially liked the chapter dealing with the classification of human populations based on different factors. As for it being a bestseller in the Middle East, it's more to do with the subject.