Mental Ramblings

"Please state the reasons why you think you would be successful in moving to Dubai and pursuing a career there. (required)" I stared at this rubric on an interview questionnaire and thought why. This is the land where my parents and a thousand others came to make their fortune. Much more than what they could achieve in their homeland. For over 5 decades this has been the land of gold and its gleaming glitter drew a million fantasies and dreams for those who set foot here. My newly-wed parents were also 2 of the many who braved the Indian ocean to start a new life. And they did. For all the years that they toiled here, it was glaringly apparent to me the disparity of the expats, who would toil unceasingly come illness or misfortune, against that of the privileged. A saddening pattern that I have observed as I grew up and later started to work here. The pattern of hidden desperation to keep working no matter what. The sea of workers who have blinders tied to thei...

When did everyone forget to write? when did everyone stop walking? Be it for leisure or for a purpose. I remember stories of my Grandparents and Uncles walking anywhere between 10-20 km daily to go to work, meet relatives or to go to church. There was a time when walking was the only option for pilgrimage. One had to prepare oneself beforehand, as it would take many days or even weeks to reach the divine destination and then return the same way after. Perhaps the race of technology has enabled many to go where it seemed impossible before but it also seems to have devolved our ability to push the physical human limits of ourselves. I wonder how many have experienced the relief, joy and awe of reaching one's destination after the hard journey that was. How many would actually give up going back home, thinking about what they would have to endure again on their way back? Perhaps that's why we used to ask the family to stay back when they visited? Not a matter of hospitali...