Live
- Rashmika captures attention with impeccable style
- ‘Dakshina’ trailer garners overwhelming response
- India’s readymade garment exports reach over $6.4 billion in April-August
- Sensex closes at all-time high, Nifty near 25,800
- Sharmila seeks CBI probe into presence of animal fat in Tirumala laddu
- HM Shah promises to drive out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Jharkhand
- Banks must use UPI to create more digital opportunities to empower millions: FM Sitharaman
- Himachal govt to hand over Jangi Thopan Powari hydro project to state power corporation
- Heavy rain forecast for Japan Sea side of northeastern Japan
- Immersive Visual Merchandising: Elevating Brand Storytelling in Retail Spaces
The uniqueness of Indians in UAE
The uniqueness of Indians in UAE. Don\'t know Arabic or fluent English? You\'ll still get by in the UAE if you know Hindi or Malayalam - a line often repeated in jest here. But mind you, there\'s a whole lot of truth in that.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for a two-day visit that is packed with a string of engagements high on substance and symbolism. He will also address the Indian Diaspora, which forms 30 percent of UAEs population, on Monday
Don't know Arabic or fluent English? You'll still get by in the UAE if you know Hindi or Malayalam - a line often repeated in jest here. But mind you, there's a whole lot of truth in that.
The UAE is home to 2.6 million Indian expats, the largest expat community constituting 30 percent of the total population! Little wonder that an overwhelming 48,000 Indians have signed up to see and hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at the Dubai Cricket Stadium despite the scorching heat.
The excitement is palpable with Modi being the first Indian prime minister to visit this Gulf nation in 34 years - a wish fulfilled after decades of clamour. Modi's visit primarily seeks to enhance cooperation in energy and trade and reach out to investors. So what sets the Indian community in the UAE apart and in what ways are they important to their home country India and the country they now call their home?
And the contribution of Indians to the UAE growth story too has been immense, whether it is the hard work of thousands of unskilled labourers, those in the service sector or the contribution of Indian businessmen and professionals in fields like health, retail, education or real estate.
Indians emerged as the leading professional migrants to the UAE in 2014, representing 28 percent, according to a global study by professional networking site LinkedIn. The demographics are interesting. According to the Indian embassy, in the 1970s and 1980s, when the principal requirement was for blue-collar workers, 85-90 percent of them were Indians.
In the 1990s, the profile of the community changed. Today, 15-20 percent of Indians are professionally qualified personnel. Known as the playground of the rich, the UAE is home to six Indians named in the Forbes' 2015 Billionaires List: businessmen Mickey Jagtiani, M.A. Yusuff Ali, real estate tycoon Ravi Pillai, educationist Sunny Varkey, healthcare and foreign exchange czar B R Shetty and pioneering healthcare tycoon Azad Moopen.
The UAE has seen a rapid increase in Indian schools and colleges. The most glamorous business is, of course, show business. The UAE is a huge source of box office revenue for Bollywood and the Malayalam film industry. Generations of Emiratis grew up watching Hindi movies as staple entertainment, idolizing Amitabh Bachchan and, later, Shah Rukh Khan.
By Malavika Vettath
