Dubai, Dare to Dream!

 

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“The Future is for those who Dare to Dream & have Courage to pursue their Dreams” … His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

With this quote of Mr. Bin Rashid, Prime Minister of Dubai & Vice President of UAE, virtual tour of Dubai’s vision about future concludes & you come in to the real world around in Dubai, which also seems like a distant future for our country (sorry guys, no offence as nothing to do about the patriotism here, strictly realistic view)! If you think I am doing injustice with our country’s development then let me share a few experiences of my Dubai (recent one) trip & you only compare or decide about my views or reason behind the above starting statement.

Scene One: I was on an evening walk on the first day in Dubai & along the road some excavation work was going on, on both sides nearly from 500 m distance there were signs in place about road work in progress. Hardly some 30m (100 ft) long stretch of foot path also was dug but for that also they have made alternate route arrangement with a carpet (cheap one yet carpet) to make pedestrians walk comfortable, needless to say “sorry for inconvenience” board was in place!

Scene Two: Out of Airport, there was arrangement of pickup & drop & slots for taxis, private cars, busses were marked & entire area was being monitored with CC TV with just two personnel (police/security) on bike, the total number of vehicles moving in & out was above some five hundred in twenty minutes time yet not a single horn honking or traffic jam was observed!

Scene Three: I was visiting Gold Souk area with my sister, few years back the entire locality was worse than even our Ravivar Peth (Old city of Pune) about traffic as well buildings & encroachments but today I saw it totally transformed with the main Gold Souk Lane converted in walkways, old dilapidated buildings redeveloped & public parking lots for cars, as well private traffic wardens to maneuver the traffic, & all this in just four years! Indeed, this may not be the best area of Dubai like "Dubai Wheel" or Marina Bay yet they have made the old city now look facelifted & much more comfortable for the visitors as well locals!

Scene Four: Dubai Future Museum, a building that looks like an oblong Doughnut (huge one) set on edge & it tells us the story of what Dubai will be in future. Not just the building itself is an architectural marvel but the message it gives to the visitor is about the approach of the city towards the future, that matters most. Ask ourselves how many such buildings or monuments we have in our city as well as public places where people can actually visit & spend time?

Scene Five: A river has been made through the city connecting two creeks, its salt water canal actually but it’s been used for two major purposes, one is entertainment & recreation & other is, it’s being used for public water way transport. The entire project has been completed in five years.

Scene Six: At Dubai airport just eight months back self-check-in kiosks are installed & do mind Emirates terminal is one of the world’s busiest airports with thousands of passengers at check-in counters with their luggage load (thanks to Dubai Shopping Festival to add on the baggage). This used to take hours of queues at check-in counters but with self-check-in thing entire process from scanning of passport to baggage tagging is done by faceless monitor & you are through in fifteen minutes! Needless to say, there are attendants to assist you in the process & on top of it even the immigration check has been done via smart gates which helps you clearing all international flight check in formalities without sharing a word with anybody!

Scene Seven: At the airport we were inquiring for a tax refund (though some hundred dirhams but big for us) at the counter which a non-resident gets at the time of leaving Dubai for purchases done. And to our surprise, there was also a face-less kiosk assisted by a lady & we got cash back in fifteen minutes in the currency of our choice! Imagine getting money back from any govt dept in our country in any form & you will understand why getting a few hundred dirhams back was such a pleasant experience!

Well, I can go on & on with all such scene list & let me tell you this is not to show how advanced Dubai is & how backward (or under developed) our country is but this is to make us realize that if decided by the govt & by the entire society, then only the real growth or development is possible for any nation! Here is where exactly we have a lot to learn from Dubai as many will say they have money & they have Shaikh ruling system & we have democracy where decisions get stuck. I agree but then the Shaikh ruling system has its own disadvantages also on the other side as well as just money was the factor then in comparison to many poor towns Mumbai & Pune are blessed with budgets but how many projects you see have been reached to their end result even after spending money for them? To name a few, we spent nearly Rs 600 cr (maybe much more) on BRTS (Bust rapid or something transport system) & what is scene today of BRTS, has it helped to reduce traffic on the roads, answer is big No! The city is blessed with nearly 32 plus kilometers of river front right from the heart of it & we have been hearing about river beautification project for the last ten years, what is the scene along the riverfront, ask yourself guys & this is what we have to learn from Dubai! They undertake any project with detailed study & then dedicatedly complete that project to the end result level which is our weakest link when we execute our so-called infrastructure developments!

And then the most important aspect which I observed during this visit to Dubai was, its emphasis on creating public places & lots of them & all in & around the city, making the entire city like a big gathering place. Trust me, this creating public places factor is so important for city as look around in our Smart City (read as Pune) & tell me ten public places not just public gardens, where you can spend some quality relaxed time at any hour of the day with your family or guests coming to your home from some out station! Unfortunately, with all due respect to the efforts of our garden dept barring a few even gardens are not a place for the family due many factors apart from maintenance! And I am not referring to creating monuments or huge structures like Dubai Frame, it’s about spaces around these structures as well as walking plazas right in the heart of the city, which serves as public spaces where people come together, have some good moments & get fresh! In our city, all we can do in our free time is go into some mall & stand in the queue of food courts for a pizza, eat hurriedly & come back with frustration over parking problems!

Though there are many malls in Dubai, yet Dubai is no more about just shopping & deals, it’s about making the lives of the citizens as well as visitors happy, this happy factor, is what makes Dubai different from other places. At Dubai Future Museum, I came across a book by Dubai’s Shaikh & Prime Minister Mr.Bin Rashid, “Happiness & Positivity”, and after reading that book, I understood the philosophy or attitude of Dubai towards life. Rarely have I come across a leader (that to a ruler actually) who thinks about making his life as well his citizens happy & positive as if you succeed in doing that then whether you are developed or underdeveloped doesn’t matter, right? What is the use of the development if the end users or the beneficiaries of that development are not happy! The way I go to forests repeatedly, people often ask me what I get by going to forest so often, don’t I get bored & my answer is forest makes me understand life in a better way & with larger vision. I can’t go to Dubai so often the way I go to the forest but my friends do ask me why often to Dubai, when we know we won’t ever be able to create here, something which Dubai does . And when you have a leader like Mr.Bin Rashid, with a vision which is backed up with action then the people (read as residents) also respond which reflects in the attitude of most of the citizens of Dubai & that is seen at public places which are clean, neat & presentable always, a rare (read as impossible) sight in our city!  And that’s why I don’t visit Dubai to copy their buildings or structures or shopping, I go there to copy Dubai’s attitude towards life i.e., try to do fullest whatever you do & with focus; that much I can definitely get back with me from Dubai & I think that’s the best reason to visit Dubai repeatedly!

Below is a photographic trip of Dubai on my Flickr link, if you are not bored with words then please spare some more time clicking it…

Best way of making the world believe you is, by creating something which they think you won't ever be able to create...

I think Dubai lives by this attitude as each time I visit here the place never stops fascinating me & giving me inspiration to do best whatever I am doing. When you see the inside of Dubai then you realize it's attitude about life, as it's not about making tall, huge buildings or biggest malls or discounts on deals but it's about creating an experience. They may not satisfy everybody but they surely try that & to their best, this spirit of trying best is Dubai, is what I always feel..!!
Here are some images which show different faces of Dubai, will keep adding...
You can check on the link below..

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72177720304742654

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at You Tube link below..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2021/09/blog-post_21.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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Think Green, Think Life

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