Nobody is happy in Dubai

I started this blog while in the UK, reflecting on a conversation in the elevator of my office building in Dubai, last week. I could not help but contrast the two places after a few days here in Lensbury. We had had a few occurrences of elevators getting stuck, with passengers still in them the week before. I remember enquiring of the security guard whether they were working properly that day, as I did not fancy getting stuck in one for a few hours. I commented about the fact that the building was still relatively new, for the elevators to start misbehaving and that proper maintenance was required. The security guard, with whom I happen to have a quick chat everyday, responded rhetorically, by stating that the elevators were getting old and just like us humans, being in constant use every day, were tired and weary.

Another gentleman, just entering the vestibule heard only the response, and misconstrued the conversation to refer to the guard and generally to life in Dubai. He immediately intruded and launched into a monologue about how everyone was tired and weary in Dubai and that no one was happy. He continued his diatribe into the elevator and up to his floor. Rising costs, increasing workloads, traffic, pollution, were all driving people to despair. He got off on an earlier floor, before I could correct his mistake, but his comments did strike me as particularly interesting. They beg the question - are we really happy in Dubai?

The changes in Dubai over the last few years are obvious. Friends who lived here before and have come back for a visit have been both, impressed and daunted. Even though the progress has been stunning, there has been a price in terms of quality of life. For longer-term residents it has been more so. The value proposition for them has changed radically. What used to be a quiet and simple place is now a booming metropolis, a worldwide brand, and probably the most sought after destination (both commercial and tourist) in the world.

In the "good old days" moving around was easy, costs were low and savings were decent. Stress, though always there, was also manageable. Since the population was small, the quality of service everywhere was exceptional. Whether it was a bank or a hotel, airline or a club, one was treated with respect, and as a customer you always left feeling good. A couple of visits to any establishment made you a regular, bringing with it a level of courtesy that only the familiar get. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, and Dubai at that time seemed on the cusp of becoming big. Every grand opening was an event to attend and it seemed like everyone you knew was there. Since there was less to do, you landed up doing everything.

I remember, as an avid beach goer, every Friday morning driving down to the open beach next to the Chicago Beach Hotel (now the Jumairah Beach Hotel) and not seeing a single soul. As I lay on the sand reading my novel, a solitary person walking half a kilometer away, felt like an intrusion. I was used to having the entire beach to myself, especially in peak summer when it was too hot for most other residents. Another pastime (seems like a dream now) was to drive down to the Sharjah corniche to the Chittagong Juice Center, just for the drive and to have a juice on weekday evenings. The entire drive to and fro (with a stop for juice) would take an hour. The pace of change has been so rapid that to anybody who has been in Dubai for less than 5 to 7 years, the above will seem like I am referring to the middle of the previous century.

On reflection it does seem as if Dubai offered more to the individual then, than it does now. There were more "options" in terms of life and living, and one did not have to bend his back to exercise the same. Now the focus for life in Dubai has changed. It has become more of flash and fashion, nightclubs and shopping, well heeled tourists and fine dining, and less to do with family and friendships. The progress has come at a cost, more so for its older residents. Those unwilling to pay are slowly but surely being pushed out, to make way for others more willing to pay the price. One hears of people pulling children out of school, sending families back, or sometimes opting out altogether. The question is whether the people walking away, are doing so having the option to stay, or is the decision forced on them.

I am often in the company of people who have nothing positive to say about this city. Property implosion, stock market meltdown, geopolitical tensions are the only future that they see. They seem to be seething with resentment, a disenfranchised lot, and to me quite often like beggars on a beach of gold. Most of this resentment is from long time residents, who took for granted the freebies given in the past, when this place was a hardship location. It is now a modern and fast paced city, comparable to the best the world has to offer. The best comes with a price, in terms of inflation, increasing population, and traffic snarls. Most major cities that I have been to, suffer from these maladies, and their residents bear this as par for the course.

A lot of this tetchiness, I think, started after the opening of the property market, and the boom it preceded. Skeptics who stayed away from investing (or could not afford to) and hence, grabbing one of the most lucrative financial opportunity in the world, started to feel left behind as the train moved away. It was almost as if, a hurricane hit their village and turned everything they knew into completely unfamiliar terrain. They felt disoriented in their own hometown! There wasn't as much anti-Dubai sentiment, as there is now. The irony is that the very same people used to complain about their annual leases. They used to consider rentals a colossal waste of money and craved to own their own property. When the opportunity did come knocking, very few actually did open the door.

Speaking for myself, I love this place. I love the sun, the heat and the proximity to my family. I love the lifestyle afforded to me by residing here, and the standard of living that I have experienced. There are more nuisances to put up with of course, like traffic and pollution and maybe deteriorating service quality, but I see all of these as temporary. This city is in a state of flux, and will need time to stabilize and I am willing to give it that time.

Having spent almost half my life in this place, I have seen its evolution (better word is transformation), and feel as if I have played a part in it as well. I take pride in the developments and more than a proprietorial interest in the progress. I cannot wait for the Dubai Metro to start so that I can commute to work. I am eagerly anticipating the completion of the Burj Dubai, the worlds tallest building, just as I am major projects like Dubailand, Waterfront and Maritime City amongst many others. The complexion of Dubai is changing and I wonder if it makes others as impatient as myself to see what lies in the future? If only I could transport myself 20 years ahead to see what this place will be like! My mind boggles in the presence of the extraordinary development underway.

I never tire from knowing that I have been privileged to be a small part of one of the most dramatic developments in modern human history. I am tired however, of the people who harp on the negatives of this city, while continuing to enjoy its bounty. If you are hanging on to Dubai and complaining, as your grip is getting loose, the question then is, why are you not letting go?