Bollywood-style reunion in Dubai: Uzbek mum meets Indian son she left after birth

March 6, 2013

Bollywood-style_reunion_in_Dubai

Dubai, Mar 6: Dubai’s police described it as a plot similar to an Indian movie. The main characters are an Indian father, an Uzbek mother and their son but the setting was thousands of miles from India, taking place in Dubai and Kenya.

The ending also has a stark resemblance of that in a film but it was still not clear whether it is a happy or sad end. Perhaps the readers have to judge.

Starting from the end, an Uzbek woman who married an Indian businessman and travelled with him to Kenya in1993 was deprived of her son just three months after he was born. After a weary search saga, she reunited with him in Dubai this week with the help of Interpol and Dubai’s police but the adult son appeared not very impressed.

The story began when the Indian man travelled to Uzbekistan to pick a pretty wife in early 1990s. After a brief search, he found his target—a beautiful 17-year-old woman, who he quickly married and travelled with her to Kenya where he had business.

After they had their first son and named him Saeed, rifts erupted when she decided to add the boy to her passport. A few weeks later, the furious husband decided to get rid of her by telling her they were all going back to India.

At the airport, they boarded a flight but the man took his son and told his wife to wait in the aircraft as he forgot something at the airport. When he did not come back the pilot announced an imminent take off, she panicked, screamed and went into a hysterical fit, prompting the cabin crew to take her out of the plane.

After a while, she realised that she had been deceived by her husband and believed he took her son and travelled back to his home town of Mumbay.

Although she realised that she had lost her son, she did not give up and began a long but futile search journey. Yet she did not quit her endeavours and many years later, she decided to resort to Interpol, who located her son’s whereabouts in Dubai.

After frenzied contacts through Facebook and other social networks, she was told by a girl that she knows her son and that he studies at a university in Dubai. But she got her first shock when she contacted him and was told to leave him alone. He even threatened her against contacting his friends again.

The mother, now 37, decided then to travel to the UAE, where she stayed with a friend in Ras Al Khaimah. She then contacted the Human Rights Department in Dubai, which managed to reunite her with her son after extensive contacts.

It was like a fiction story similar to that in an Indian film,” said Colonel Mohammed Al Murr, the Department’s director. “We decided to help this woman because she looked a respected person and she would never stop crying. The first meeting with her son was difficult and extremely emotional. It was a story that moved everyone.”

The Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum said the meeting was arranged by Lt Colonel Khaled Lootah, director of the woman and child protection department.

“It was a very dramatic meeting…when the mother went into the room and saw her son, she lost her balance and was about to faint. She then went into a weeping fit because was so happy, but her son appeared apathetic and said he was angry that she emerged in his life. She tried her best to explain that she is his biological mother but he still refused to accept that fact and looked as if he had an internal conflict,” Lootah said.

“The boy then said his father told him that his mother sold him for $6 million in Nairobi (Kenya) in return for shares in a nightclub. He said that his real mother is the woman who brought him up in India and looked after him when he was a child.”

Emirat Alyoum quoted Lootah as saying they arranged another meeting between the mother and the son and that they tried to convince the son to treat the woman as a real mother. “The boy then asked for time so he can absorb the situation. The second meeting ended in a very warm hugging by the mother of her son.”

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
KT
April 16,2020

Dubai, Apr 16: Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), unveiled a series of outdoor ads that form part of its new campaign to encourage the community to stay home.

Featuring the slogan 'For My Sake #StayHome for Us', the campaign depicts stunning artwork developed in collaboration with Emirati artist Maitha Demithan. The ads have been displayed on billboards, lamp posts and digital screens across Dubai.

The campaign reinforces the importance of staying at home in line with the strict restrictions on movement put in place by Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management as part of intensified measures to combat Covid-19.

Nehal Badri, Director of Brand Dubai, said: "The outdoor campaign, displayed in prominent locations across Dubai, was designed to illustrate the importance of staying at home during the current sensitive period. Using Maitha Demithan's stunning creative artwork, we sought to send out a clear message to the community that staying at home is vital to safeguard the wellbeing of our loved ones. 

This project is one of a series of initiatives launched in collaboration with UAE-based artists to raise awareness about the need to unite efforts to protect vulnerable people from the risk of infection."

Emirati artist Maitha Demithan said: "It has been a privilege for me to work on this project and an honour to serve my country through my artworks. The three portraits featured in the campaign create a triptych that represents the people who are the most vulnerable to being infected by the virus. During such difficult times, art can play a crucial role in raising awareness on how to stay safe, but most importantly it can keep everyone inspired. I encourage all my fellow artists and the creative community to continue practicing social distancing and stay connected by using their creativity and innovation to raise awareness during this period."

Brand Dubai partnered with several media outlets, including Media 24/7, Arabian Outdoor Media and Hypermedia to launch the outdoor ads. The ads are displayed on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Marina.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 30,2020

Dubai, June 30: The United Arab Emirates is all set to reopen mosques and other places of worship at 30 per cent capacity from July 1.

However, Friday prayers will remain suspended in the country, said Saif Al Dhaheri, Spokesperson for the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) during a virtual press briefing on Monday.

The official said certain mosques in industrial areas, labor residential areas, shopping malls and public parks will remain closed until further notice.

He said health authorities already conducted Covid-19 tests for Imams and workers serving at the mosque to ensure health and safety of the worshippers.

Al Dhaheri also spelt out guidelines that worship centres have to follow to welcome worshippers.

A distance of three metres should be observed between each worshippers and no handshakes are allowed. Worshippers will have to perform ablutions at home. People should bring their own personal copies of Holy Quran or read from digital copies. It is also mandatory for all worshippers to download and activate contract tracing app AlHosn.

"We urge the public to cooperate by following precautionary measures including social distancing. Children under 12 years old, the elderly as well as individuals with chronic diseases should avoid going to mosques," said the official.

The UAE first announced the suspension of public prayers in all places of worship on March 16, which was extended until further notice on April 9.

As Khaleej Times reported, places of worship had been preparing to reopen since the last few weeks by sanitizing parking lots and outdoor areas, entrances, main prayer halls and ablution areas.

The spokesperson also announced that the Private and commercial boat trips and water sports will be allowed to operate at reduced capacity of 50 per cent but by following precautionary measures.

The total number of recovered cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the UAE has reached 37,076 with 665 cases recovered today after receiving treatment. Since the beginning of June, UAE has had a daily recovery average of 660 cases, said Dr. Amna Al Shamsi, Spokesperson for the UAE government.

Guidelines

1. Maintain a distance of 3 metres between worshippers.

2. No handshakes allowed.

3. Ablutions must be performed at home.

4. To read the Holy Quran, worshippers must bring their own copies.

5. All worshippers must download and activate contact tracing app AlHosn

6. People in vulnerable categories like those with chronic diseases and the elderly must not visit the mosques.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 5,2020

New Delhi, Jun 5: As part of global efforts to combat COVID-19, the UAE has provided more than 708 tonnes of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries, including India, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, a UAE Embassy statement said.

The UAE is regarded as the main lifeline for the logistic operations of the international organizations' strategic warehouses in Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) where the UAE is the first responder to the global crises, especially in providing assistance in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Dubai's IHC has dispatched more than 132 shipments to 98 countries around the world so far since the beginning of this year, and is working as a central hub to distribute the personal protection kits, the statement said.

While the UAE continues its constant work of supporting the global efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 disease, it has provided more than 708 tons of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries worldwide to date, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, it said.

In addition, 65 million indirect beneficiaries profited from the UAE's global efforts in combating the spread of the virus, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, effective June 10, said it will link 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia via Abu Dhabi.

The new transfer services will make it possible for those travelling on the airline's current network of special flights to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations.

Etihad recently launched links from Melbourne and Sydney to London Heathrow, allowing direct transfer connections to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi.

Easy transfer connections via Abu Dhabi will now be available from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich, the airline said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.