Old habits die hard

The once dusty sidewalks and pavements are now a distant memory. They are now almost spotlessly clean with neat, precisely placed flower beds and green lawns. The capital city that has won the title of the Garden City of the Gulf has undergone a big change.

But the more the city has changed, the more some people have remained unchanged - at least in their habits.

There's no denying that certain characteristics of Abu Dhabi have escaped mutation and old timers with a keen and observant eye will tell you that, despite the many improvements in the city's leisure activities, there are a lot of humble folks who continue with their old habit of gathering at certain point in the city every Friday evening.

No ifs or buts. The meetings are a must.

As if drawn by a magnet, Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi expatriates converge every weekend, by the hundreds at a particular spot in the capital to exchange news, catch up on the latest gossip or just reminiscence over a piping hot cup of tea and snacks.

These are the unsung heroes who've contributed to the development of this city with their blood, sweat and tears, toiling in under the scorching rays of the summer sun or braving the chilly day of winter, as they pile on the bricks, pour in the cement, nail in the wood, smoothen the walls, lay the flooring till finally yet another magnificent skyscrapper graces the capital's crowded skyline.

Theirs are the hands that have turned the desert into lush green lawns and flowers beds and help keep the garbage and trash off the roads and streets.

They are from the lower income group, who left the home shores to provide better lives to their families. Most of them are accommodated in the labour camps in Mussafah.

Shopping at the mega malls and other posh shopping centres is simply out of the question. They just can't afford it. What they can is the taxi fare to their favourite spots. This is their only, affordable, weekly rendezvous, where they can meet with their compatriots and be themselves.

The spots where these people gather have, over the years, improved. They have now lawns to squat on and, in some spots, even chairs are laid out by the eateries around the place.

The Indians mostly gather at the market behind the Liwa Centre on Hamdan Street. The majority of them are from the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Most of them are masons, carpenters or helpers and they hail from districts like Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Nalgonda.

Why do these poor come all the way from Mussafah to coverge at one particular spot?

A smile greets followed by their reasons. For all these sturdy looking men with hard hands and soft hearts who slog for big construction, it is the free transport and the sheer delight of catching up with friends, relatives and acquaintances from their home towns or villages.

There are stories to tell, news from neighbours and letters to be sent home should someone be leaving. The visit and popularity of their Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to UAE has greatly enhanced their stance among the crowds. Sainath Reddy, a mason, has been visiting this spot for past three years."When I was leaving for Abu Dhabi, my neighbour, who had worked here told me about this place. At least once a week I feel so happy to be with people from my district."

This Friday evening rendezvous is sacred. Something they will not miss. Not even the extra dollar or two they can make by staying back and working overtime. "These evenings gives us the zest to carry on for the week," say many of them.

Jannat Khan hails from a town called Bannu in the North West Frontier Province. He lives in a "Dera" (collectives) with about seven others from his tribe. He longs for the Friday evening sessions at the junction of the Jawazat Street off Airport Road. "I will not miss it for anything in the world. It's dear to me. It's an addiction like the 'Naswar' (snuff). Though I have company at home, this is 'Zindagi yar' (life, my dear)."

Once localities like the 'Shabia' and 'Medinat Zayed', with its low cost housing, are heavily populated with taxi drivers, since the demolition the inmates had to split and scatter. Many of them find this point a good meeting place to revive old friendships and catch up with whats happening at home, exchange messages (mostly recorded audio tapes from homes).

Zameen Bakht Khan comes all the way from Umm Al Nar every Friday without fail to meet his old room-mates, and it gives him a great feeling of comfort.

The Bangladeshis prefer a spot on the Electra Street near the Sands Hotel, where there are several Bengali hotels and shops. Shah Alam and his three friends all work in Mussafah, and they all spend Dh10 on transport to visit this spot and another Dh5 on refreshments.

"We don't get this atmosphere in Mussafah. Though the place is full of people from our country, the choice of food is little. Besides we also get to have some fun here in the city," say the four of them. The restaurants here serve brewed tea and sell special Bengali sweets.

The people from the subcontinent of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are gregarious and garrulous, which is palpable here. The air is thick with talk, who's done what, who got fired, who has been duped by the travel agent, who paid how much to enter the country, who got caught in the labour raid, who is getting married to whom, availability of jobs... even marriage proposals are discussed, births celebrated and death mourned. These form their staple talk. They go home, more satisfied, more happy and more content than many of us who spend several hundred dirhams for a Friday evening out.