TII introduces a new series on Indian communities in the Gulf. Punjabis in the UAEare a vibrant community, prospering in economics, art, family, and community service.Their passion for life is found not only in the Punjabi community, but also infects thosewho come into contact with them – imparting something of the ‘Bhangra beat’ into eachperson’s heart, whether Punjabi or not. But despite being well-established in the UAE,Punjabis yearn for India, where their passion fi nds its source.

punjabiyat and thePunjabi culture arevery much a partof my fi lms – ‘JabWe Met’ and ‘LoveAaj Kal.’ I can’t deny I sharea special affi nity with that partof our country. And if I had myway Punjabis would be a part ofall my fi lms,” says Imtiaz Ali,Bollywood director of the muchlovedcontemporary love-storyHis moviegrossed morethan Rs. 62crores and thesepia-toned lovestory betweenthe turbanedVeer Singh andneighbourhoodgirl Harleen Kaurcaptured the heart of millions ofBollywood fans worldwide. Mostly it helped to showoffPunjabiculture at its best: a vibrant,apolitical community that holdson to its roots and has the abilityto create a home away from homewherever they live.It is not just Bollywood and itsrecurrent obsession with the Punjabis (read ‘Singh is Kinng’, ‘Dil BoleHadippa’ and the all time favourite ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’),it is also the stunning haute coutre lines of J.J. Vallaya, KhushwantSingh’s candid writing and Daler Mehendi’s foottappingnumbersthathasmadetheworldsitupandtakenotice.mouthwatering
cuisine of Sarson ka Sag,Makki Di Roti and the ubiquitousbutter chicken that consistentlypampers our taste-buds.You don’t have to be a Punjabi tobe fascinated by their myriad festivalslike Vaisakhi and Lori promisinga riot of colours, their generositytowards their unity. You don’t have to be a Sikh to join in the numerous blooddonation camps that are held in the UAE to help thalassaemmiapatients at the Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai or shake a leg or two at the‘Power Bhangra Nites’ organized frequently at the new residentialcommunities in Dubai.In the UAE, Punjabis represent a strong and united force. Anestimated 1 lakh Punjabis from India reside in the different emirates, His moviegrossed morethan Rs. 62crores and thesepia-tonedlovestorybetweentheturbanedVeerSinghandneighbourhoodgirlHarleen
KaurcapturedtheheartofmillionsofBollywoodfansdance)andthemouthtowards
othersortogetinspiredbyThereisawidespreadconvictionaboutthedestressing
powerof‘Bhangra’(Punjab’s traditionalmouth-half of whom are Sikhs. Punjabi entrepreneurs are a common featureamong the business community in Dubai and they are into trading ofa wide range of products from textiles and handicrafts to electronics,some of them have even launched entertainment companies.A popular Sikh website run by the UAE Sangat writes: “Thetypesofoccupationsrangingfromdoctors,engineersaccountants,business.
”revolves around the sayingthat: “A good life is lived as part of a community by livinghonestly and caring for others.”So what are the main motivating factors that haveprompted Punjabis to make UAE, their home? JasvinderSingh,an electronic engineeremployedasAssistantManagerNetwork Operations in Dubai says that he cameto Dubai for a short-term project in April 2004, while hewas still working for an MNC in Delhi. “I was offereda job here and came back on a residence visa in August2004. The main motivation behind my migration was economic prosperity, proximity to India and the safety and politicalstability of Dubai.”P.S. Ghumman, a prominent Punjabi businessman inDubairecallsthat his elder brothers were already working in Dubai when he came ona visit visa to try his luck in 1998. Today he is the CEO and ManagingDirector of the Ghumman Group of CompanieswhichincludesAlWaseetGeneralLandTransport,Singh’sFoods
TradingCo.LLCandSatrangEntertainment Company. “My two elder brothers and theirfamily and I along with my family live as a joint family here in Dubai.I have two daughters aged six and one.”nformation Technology expert Vinod Mehra who manages an ITsales team here says that he came to Dubai in 1993 and has been witness to a major shift in the lifestyle due to the evolving cosmopolitan profi leof Dubai. “I have been in the GCC for a long time. I was in Bahrain andOman before I came to Dubai. There is a sizeable Indian communityhere and I feel at home. However, the biggest incentive for staying hereis Dubai’s global outlook and theincreasing business opportunities.”Ajit Singh, another prominentPunjabi businessman who is intoimports, exports and retailingof Indian handicrafts, shawls,cooperative.”multicultural society, Punjabishave an uncanny knack ofcreating their own mini-Punjab.“We celebrate all signifi cantoccasionsandfestivalslikeGuruNanak’sBirthday,Diwali,Holi,Janamashtam i,Baisakhi,IndependenceDay and RepublicDay. But Baisakhi and Diwali arethe favourites because they markthe beginning of the New year,”explains Ajit.There are different ways thatPunjabis reach out to membersof their community. “We utilizetechnology as well as socialAlthough residing in aSikh community has a sizeable presence especially in Dubai andthe UAE. They are employed in alladministrators, salesmen,drivers and blue-collarworkers. There is asignifi cant presence ofSikh entrepreneurs mostlyinvolved in trading,transport, constructionand craftsmen-relatedThe Punjabi philosophyhome furnishing and souveniritems believes that Dubai isan unique experiment where“people from different countrieslive in peace and harmony. Herecrime rates are less, womenand children are safe and thepolice and administration is veryThe International Indiangatherings to bond/religiousAjit Singhtakes place in somebody’s residence which is followed by lunch. We alsocelebrate birthdays, go on picnics with the kids and there is the communitywebsite SikhsinDubai.com where every information about communityevents/activities are posted,” addsAjit Singh. If a Punjabi has come intoDubai recently then he can log into the website to check out the latestcommunity initiatives.“There is a great pleasure and nostalgia when I am able to speak inthe Punjabi language with the others,” muses Vinod.Blood Donation camps are also a regular feature among the communityfruitful cause.entrepreneurial skills.”called “Eid di Dhamal Punjabian De Naal.”Vinod Mehra and his family heads off to India on vacations andvisits various places of cultural and religious interests like the GoldenTemple in Amritsar and the Akshardham temple in New Delhi. “Whenwe went on a vacation in July 2009, our purpose of visiting thesetemples was to introduce our kids to our cultural history.”The Sikhs in Dubai now havemuch to cheer about. There is anew Sikh temple, the Guru NanakDarbarthatiscomingupinJebelAli. TheGuruNanakDarbarwillbeanarchitecturallydistinctive structure located in a 25,400 squarefeet plot in Jebel Ali, Dubai, alongSheikh Zayed road connectingDubai to Abu Dhabi. It is alsoexpected to serve as an avenueforcommunity events and marriages. The Guru Nanak Darbar is amulti-storey facility spread overa 100,000-square-foot buildinglocated at the junction of two largeaccessible roads. The building hastwo basements, a ground fl oor anda fi rstfl oor, plus an intermediateterrace fl oor. Each basement ismeasured 25,000 square feet that21,000-square-foot groundfl oor houses the dininghall, kitchen, pantry, andstore room. The receptiondesk and Gurudwaraoffi ce is also in the groundfl oor complemented withwash room and shoe storage facilities.“This is a great stepforward for the Punjabicommunity as a wholeand Sikhs in particular.I’m sure that the daythe Guru Nanak Darbaropens its doors, the eventwill be documented inSikh history. This will bea bonding place for all believers ofGuru Nanak’s universal doctrine.Also it will act as a base for spiritualand philanthrophic activitiesbenefi ting the Punjabi communityand society as well,” explainsand members get together to donate blood for the sake of thalassaemmiapatients at the Al Wasl Hospital. Theupcoming blood donation camp at thepremises of the Asiatic Building MaterialsLLCpromises to be another step towards aSays Jasvinder, one of the organizersof the camp: “Punjabis have earned avery good reputation by contributingto social causes and enriching the UAEeconomy through their professional andP. Ghumman, a Punjabi folk singerhas discovered a novel way of bondingwith his fellow Punjabis. “In my Satrangentertainment company, we organize at leastthree Punjabi musical shows that pump thePunjabi fl avour into the UAE. It also helps meto keep in touch with our festivals. We havea show coming up in September during Eidcancontain parking spacefor up to 100 cars. Thethe audience will only take it back home if it entertains,” he says.And it is not just Punjabiyat that he is passionate about. ThereLopchu Estate Darjeeling tea, preferably brewed inan earthen pot. “This is my only quirk. I need asmuch of my single-estate tea as I can get. I can makedo with cutting chai on the sets now and then butjust to be on the safe side I always carry these. I justneed hot water and then I’m good,” he says.Ali’s journey began with theatre—playingAladdin in his fi rst school play in Class IX and thenwriting and directing school plays. He staged his fi rstprofessional play, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, whenhe was in Class XII. He then moved to Delhi wherehe established Ibtida, the drama society of HinduCollege which stages thought-provoking street playseven now. “My batchmate, Prabhat Ranjan, felt weshould name it after my initial I, so we did just that,”lies behind the camera. “I decided that I would ratherlook at someone then be looked at,” he says.The next stop was obviously Mumbai. He arrived in 1993 with noidea of howBollywood worked. “I thought the fi lm industry was a hugebuilding with different rooms like acting, directing and producing. Ithought it’s very simple. One just needs to enroll in this building and then get certifi cates from these different rooms,” he says. But soon,he was out there struggling, fi nally getting to direct the Kiron Kherchat show Purushkshetra. Then, the big break came with the TV soapImtihaan. “That’s where it all started. I learnt direction when I wasalready the director. In hindsight, I feel I’m a victim of accidents in mylife. I’ve just been blowing in the wind,” he says. Debasrree S. is a freelance writer based in DubaiJasvinder. “It is a great landmarkfor Sikhism as a religion,” saysGhumman.Although most Punjabis arewell-settled in the Gulf, there is avery strong yearning to get back toone’s roots. If not in the immediatefuture, then at least by the timefi nancial security has been achieved.Another interesting feature is thatImtiaz Ali is just two fi lms oldbut he has already perfectedHindi fi lms with Met and childlike wonder forcinema. “My sense of cinema appreciation comes from seeingthe fi rst-hand reactions of araunchy north Indian audiencewho, when they go to see aMithun Chakraborty fi lm, dressup like him,” he says. Ali doesn’twant to offer any intellectualdebate through his movies; he justwants to entertain. “The audiencepays an entertainment tax, not aninformation tax. A fi lm can offera perspective or a worldview butis also another penchant in his life: his daily addiction to 25 cups ofhe says. By then, Ali had realised that his happinesshis touch for Bollywoodromances. A soft-spoken,long-haired, non-fi lmiguy from Jamshedpur, hesuccessfully reinventedthe romance genre inJab WeLove Aaj Kal.The 37-year-old, whogrew up in a family thatowned cinema halls inhometown Jamshedpur(now Jharkhand) recalls“wandering in and outof” Jamshedpur Talkies,Karim Talkies and StarTalkies. He retains thatmost of the Punjabis in the UAE are not looking at migrating to westerncountries. They would rather head back to India after earning their moneythan move towards Europe, U.S. or the UK.“We are not keen to buy property here and when the time comes,I’m keen to return to my homeland. Till then I feel ‘East or West, Dubaiis the Best.’” Vinod Mehra on the other hand says that he might investin property here but certainly return home when the time is right. “Ihave no intentions of heading West,” he declares.“My roots pull me too much. So given a choice I would like to goback to my own country and city, Delhi,” says Jasvinder.