Surprised II

Gautam even surprised me more today on our way to the office. He gave me an article to read in "Emirates Today" about labour working conditions.

WORKERS LEFT OUT IN THE HEAT

"As soon as your fancy airliner to Dubai International Airport lands, you can see your co-passengers glued to the windows with their jaws open in amazement of what a wonderful city it is, where the sun shines for 10 months and there is no tax.

There are two things that you would see here in Dubai almost throughout the year. The sun and the Asian laborers in their blue/yellow overalls working under the sun or even at night.

But we have, the citizens or residents of this country, forgotten the foundations that make a society civilized and humane? I have been a resident here since birth and have always appreciated the work here. But today I question whether we have gone too far in our aim to make this country the hub of the Middle East.

Start your trip from Jumeirah towards the so called “New Dubai” and you are bound to notice the construction laborers besides the streets or on under-constructed high rises.

Being a person from the sub-continent I ask myself why these people don´t quit if they are in such pain. But then I think of what the situation back home would be for them. We should think to ourselves that if they didn´t face a difficult situation at home (mostly India and Pakistan) then would the companies be able to exploit them?

They are doing a task which no ordinary person would do. When I spoke to a laborer at Dubai Marian during the summer and asked him hoe he felt over the midday break rule. He said that it was big relief to him and his colleagues. He also pointed out that their productivity had increased. But then a few weeks later they were disappointed again when they found out that the break was no longer being exercised as their supervisors told them that it was so because the temperature were falling.

Any person who has been in Dubai long enough knows that it´s not true because Dubai has winter (which means cloudy sky) for just two months. Soon they realized that they were back to the same position as before the rule was imposed.

I ask the Ministry Of Labor this question. Is it so difficult to issue a new rule in this city, or is this city really an architect’s paradise (according to Cherie Blair on her visit to Dubai recently) or a laborers hell?"

At the end I was surprised to realize that Gautam was the author of this article. I am not sure when this change in him happened and where it will lead to but one thing is sure. I am inspired by his proactivity.

Surprised!

A couple of days ago I received an email from a friend saying "Do read this. Its something that happened to me and changed a part of me. ". I was truly surprised and started reading curiously...

A TRIBUTE TO THOSE HANDS

Today I realized what it takes to be a laborer. A lot of patience, strength and everything that you can think of when you have to work in the scorching sun in Dubai. So what really happened today that made me such a big appreciator of these simple and humble hard working people?

My company is working on a project in connection with the Mall Of The Emirates where I had to make a delivery order of certain art work for them. Like a typical employee I was dressed in my formal shirt, pants and work shoes. When I landed there at around 12.00pm when the heat is at its maximum I realized that the deliver had to be met at the Loading dock no. 6 where we had got permission to unload them. Along with me were two of my Muslim colleagues who were driving the two vehicles loaded with the materials to the mall.

Disaster struck at first when I could not even find loading dock no.6, it took us an hour to locate it. When I finally managed to locate it we were told that there is not definite way to the dock and that the car has to be parked almost 10 minutes walking distance from the dock. Taking charge if everything I asked my colleagues to gear up for this and motivated them as much as I could.

So the first round begins, we grab one box each and commence to move towards the dock entrance and we made it. After everything was unloaded from the car to the dock entrance another disaster struck when they told us that everything had to be carried by the staircase as the elevators are not yet functioning. The final destination was 2 floors above us.

At this critical situation I could not motivate my colleagues any more as they were already exhausted as they were fasting. All the three of us were drenched in sweat and mud in our shoes and hands felt like they could cut glass. But the worse situation arrived when I realized that all goods must be loaded to the mall before 1.30pm as no goods can be bought into the unloading docks after that as they are then closed.

There was no other way out of this and that’s when I realized that it was all on me to make this happen. I had absolutely lost my wits at that point and did not know what to do. I walked up to the security supervisor and asked him if I could get any help, he refused as they did not have anyone to help us. Then I had to tighten my belt and do all on my own. I grabbed one of the smaller boxes and started to walk towards the staircase when I saw a group of construction laborers merely singing and carrying heaving metallic rods and other construction equipment which seemed 20 times more heavier then my load.

It took me almost an hour and a half to get everything to the top. I was drenched in sweat I felt like I wanted to puke and my head felt dizzy and I smelled so bad that even a dog after being in a rain would smell better than me. When I was making my way down I saw the same group of laborers merely working away. One of the old laborers who seemed to know Urdu came up to me and asked me if I was working for the mall. I replied to him that I was just a part of the initial opening for the mall and then I went on complaining about how everything was so disorganized and there were no proper facilities there. The person just gave me a smile and said we over here don’t even know half of the things that you are talking about. I felt so shrieked I could fit in to my own sock. He asked me what my age was and replied back to him promptly hoping that he would praise me for being so young and hard working (Which is the usual reply I get when I meet someone at any social gathering), but instead he just smiled and walked away. I was thrown from cloud 9 to where I really belong.

I chased the old gentlemen and asked him to stop. He asked me what I wanted from him. I replied back to him in Urdu, “Your blessings, Sir.” I bent down touched his feet and he smiled and asked me to get up and instead hugged me. There I was standing surrounded by 100 – 150 construction workers , my 2 other colleagues and to my surprise my boss had also arrived by then and just got out of his car the very same instance while all of this was happening. Believe it or not, everyone started clapping and I just did not know what sort of a feeling I was going through but it was something really motivating enough for me to write this piece.

Today is when I actually realized what it takes to be an actual laborer.

Gautam J

I was truly inspired & happy to get to know a different side of Gautem. Keep up the good work. :o)

15 years of German Unity

After world war II Germany was split into 4 different zones of occupation – the British, the French, the American & the Soviet.

On May 24th 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was established in the west & south of Germany. And the German Democratic Republic was established in the eastern part on 7th of October 1949.

The result Germany was divided – ideological & economically – by a wall.

I was born and brought up in the former German Democratic Republic aka Eastern Germany and therefore the 3rd of October is a very special day for me.

I was eleven when the reunion took place. I can´t remember the moment or the time itself but I can remember how life was than and now. It was like day and night – not comparable. I am more than happy about the opportunities I have right now but sometimes I am sad that I did not had the chance to get to know my “home country” better.

Life, people & attitudes have changed. Turn for the better? I´m not sure but that’s not important. Important is to make the best out of it and this is what I do.