Workers in Dubai post handwritten letters to loved ones

Most of the workers penned letters to their family and friends, wishing them for Eid and asking for photos of their children to be sent.

When Mohammed Mohsin, a Bangladeshi national civil foreman working in Dubai, met his wife of 15 years for the first time, all they did was exchange coy glances.
Mohsin had committed to an arranged marriage with Ireen Parvin Mukta and given the cultural barriers, the two weren't allowed to speak before their wedding ceremony. So, when the crew from Mian Biwi aur Wagah gave Mohsin the opportunity to write a letter to his loved ones for Eid Al Fitr last Wednesday, he promptly wrote the first one to his wife.
A misty-eyed and sheepish Mohsin reminisced the days he would write to his wife regularly. He said: "The first time we ever communicated was through letters. I reminded her about our first letter when I wrote to her now. We have one daughter, Hafsa Naureen Nisa."
Mian Biwi aur Wagah is the UAE's longest running and original Urdu theatre play, and as part of the group's Ramadan and Eid celebrations, they encouraged workers at Al Meher workers accommodation in Al Qouz to write letters to their loved ones. Armed with pens, notepads, a post box, as well as a 'postman' in khaki clothes, the team from Mian Biwi aur Wagah collected letters from the workers and posted them to their respective destinations on behalf of the workers.
Sheherzad Kaleem, head of the production at Mian Biwi aur Wagah, said: "All employees of Al Meher Contracting Co were encouraged to pen their thoughts. A total of 200 letters were collected." 
She added: "We did a similar campaign at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. We decided to extend it to workers as they can gain from being a lot more expressive through writing, as compared to communicating over the phone."
After Iftar, some workers grabbed a pen and paper and began scribbling down their thoughts. The theatre group volunteers also helped the illiterate workers pen their thoughts better. The letters were written in regional South Asian languages such as Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, and Pushto in some cases. Once word spread around the camp, workers began thronging to the courtyard to write letters. Muhammed Majid, an actor/ writer in the play, said: "Some of the letters written were requests for more pictures of their children in new clothes etc. But all the letters wished their families well for Eid. One worker wrote: 'I've sent money for Eid. Please buy the kids new clothes and send photos."
The theatre members were thrilled at the way the men were able to express their genuine emotion through writing and let their family members know they were being missed.
For example, Muhammed Adalat, a Pakistani driver who has been in the UAE for 18 years, said: "I go back to Rawalpindi once in two years. It felt terrific to write letters to my family because I always speak to them over the phone or send Whatsapp texts. I wrote that I miss them and wish to see them soon."
Another worker Mohammed Davish, also from Pakistan said: "I've been working here for 9 years. My father worked in the UAE before I got here, and I remember during our childhood days, he would write several letters to my mother and us. I didn't think much of it at the time: however, now it feels precious."
Tanweer Hussain, a Pakistani worker resident in the UAE for 30 years, said: "In the beginning, I would send letters to my parents very often. Now I send them to my son. I still try and send written letters twice a year."
Faraz Waqar, the postman for the day, said: "It was also beautiful to see how friends were writing letters to each other."
A volunteer at the workers' accommodation, Faisal Hassan said: "The practice gets people back into the habit of letter writing. When you write, you need to stop and collect your thoughts. You go into a space of your own. Modern-day communications have made the art of letter writing a tough exercise."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai

Dhanusha Gokulan

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com