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A piece of history for generations to treasure

Dubai - Taking the fragile newspaper copy from the paper-tube, Ali points out to the headline that reads "Two dominions are born

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For the last two decades, every year on August 15, Manauwar Ali, a 39-year-old Indian expat in Dubai, makes sure that he reads the copy of the 'The Statesman' newspaper dated August 15, 1947.
A true nationalist, Ali who hails from Bihar, feels proud to keep the copy of the newspaper which he found by chance in an old suitcase that belonged to his grandmother.
"I came across the copy by chance. After my grandmother's death, I was just clearing her suitcase and I came across some new set of clothes neatly wrapped in a newspaper. To my surprise, it was the newspaper copy which came out on the same day that India became an independent country. Since then, I have been carrying that newspaper copy with me wherever I travel for work," said Ali, who currently works as a concierge at The Address in Dubai Mall. In 2013, Ali was judged as the concierge of the year by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

"Dubai is home away from home for me. It has given me so much but that particular copy of the newspaper has a special place in my heart. When I told by friends about it, they did not believe me at all. They thought I was simply bluffing them off. But when I showed it to them, they were all curious and got all emotional."
Taking the fragile newspaper copy from the paper-tube, Ali points out to the headline that reads "Two dominions are born".
"No matter how many times I have read it, I get very nostalgic. I often listen to the stories of pre-independence days from my grandfather, Mohammed Sadik, who has advised me to guard this newspaper copy with my life. According to him, it is not just a paper but a piece of history that I have got. He is 102 years old and has so much to share. He had never failed to participate in the Independence Day celebrations that take place in our village in Bihar.
"I have made my children aware of the importance of this newspaper and one day I will hand it over to them. I am a proud Indian and am proud to be in-charge of a piece of history - the first newspaper copy of The Statesman that was printed in an Independent India. I will not trade it for anything."
sunita@khaleejtimes.com