SHARED THOTS - 25.04.14.
==============================================
A budding artist exhibited his recently done painting (piece of art), in a
public place, with great confidence. Before he went home for lunch, he left
a note requesting the viewers to mark with a (X), wherever they felt there
was a mistake. When he came back in the evening, he was shocked beyond words
to find every inch of his favourite painting, covered with numerous (X)s. In
tears, he ran back to his Great Master, from whom he had learnt art.
"Go and paint another piece of art" commanded the Master. "Before exhibiting
it, come to me for guidance".
In a few days, the student completed another beautiful painting and took it
to his Master, who whispered some instructions in his ears. Returning to the
public place, the budding artist put up his painting on display.
However, this time, he left a request note asking the viewers to CORRECT any
mistakes which they might find in the artist's painting. He provided some
bottles of paint and a few brushes to do the correction and left for lunch.
When he returned in the evening, he was surprised to find that his painting
was left untouched by any of the viewers!
===========================================
The above story sums up the flak received by the expat community in Gulf
countries, especially in societies like Saudi Arabia & Kuwait, where the
checks & controls are the highest.
The name of the game here is – blame & find fault. Blame the expats for
everything – from traffic jams, petty thefts, crime, road rage, illegal
activities et al.
The magic solution that surfaced out of the available local intellect is
simple and swift – deport all the expats. The society sans the expats will
be simply beautiful and clean !! I am not joking. An actual Govt decision is
being implemented since a year now in Kuwait, affecting the lower strata of
the expat community, with the full punching power of the enforcement.
No further elucidation is necessary to the consequences of such a fantasy
solution, if ever it becomes a reality, where the vast majority of the
national population are privileged to live from cradle to grave courtesy the
Govt. It is sad to see before our eyes, vast majority of successive
generations losing the will to work, let alone the need to work and earn an
income.
I am a resident in Kuwait with family, conducting peacefully what I am here
for, with due respect to the laws of the land and co-existing well with the
large expat community & local nationals for our daily lives and for
business. Together with my family, colleagues and quite a big circle of
friends & acquaintances at various levels, we are pretty happy to be here
and feel totally at home.
Being away from homeland, for past two decades plus, in the Middle East,
this is more ‘home’ to us that the real home, where we feel like fish out of
water in many respects. We do realize that at the end of the day, when our
innings in this turf is over, we have to head back to our homeland, where we
have to adjust quite a bit, to feel ‘local’ again after the long spell of
being just a visitor, always with a return ticket. The very thought gives
most of us a feeling of ‘discomfort’ .. though it is known that all those
who headed back with no return tickets, are happy and contented, especially
the youngsters, with the doors wide open to the nature, rather than the
confines of temperature controlled living.
It is not the temperature alone that is controlled in our daily lives here
in the Gulf. The six countries that form the GCC, have controls of different
rigidity, wherein Saudi Arabia can be considered as the most rigid, followed
by Kuwait. The other four nations are almost on par with respect to social &
moral controls – the UAE being the least rigid perhaps.
In Kuwait, the entire expat community is facing a new level of criticism,
being blamed for all the ills of the society. Expats are found guilty for
many a problem that are but natural by-products of a society which is
multi-culture in nature and very heterogeneous in its composition.
We were witness to the draconian measures implemented to “capture” erring
expats, over very trivial violations, leading to arbitrary deportations. The
fear psychosis prohibited many to venture out. Shops, restaurants, usual
gathering spots and roads were near empty. Traffic reduced overnight. All
the locals were happy. The local newspapers and columnists praised the
policies and measures taken by the super cop. Over enthusiasm for creating
an Utopia in Kuwait, sans all low level expats, almost led to creation of a
near Dystopian society*.
Among the deported are those found violating visa rules. Forgotten is the
sad fact that the expats thus found at fault, are mere victims.. while those
behind this menace, the hiring companies owned by locals, laugh all the way
to the bank enriching themselves out of the sweat, toil and tears of those
whose voice will never be heard and to whom justice is but a distant dream.
The nations that form the GCC were a happy-go-lucky laid back tribal
settlements living in harsh conditions at the mercy of vast expanse of
brutal desert sands. From such hamlets that never wake up, to sizzling
metropolis that never sleeps, all within a few decades, has been a
transformation that human settlements have never seen anywhere else in the
world, since the dawn of civilization.
This sudden boom came about with the discovery of oil, the black gold. One
by one, each nation prospered. The demand for man-power was immense, to
harness this natural resource to its various downstream products and offer
to the hungry world. In return, wealth beyond the wildest of dreams flowed
into these regions.
The influx of men, materials and machines continued through the years, to
fill various types of needs and skills, in giving shape to brand new
multi-cultural cities.
The new cities offered varieties of occupation for those willing to come and
settle down on terms & conditions that compensated for factors such as
living away from family, grinding work schedule, harsh weather, alien
culture, language etc.
With the coming of men, came the needs of men to be also met. Gradually over
the years, the new cities saw expat families settling down to raise a new
generation away from homeland. The luxury of living with families was
confined to a privileged small percentage. The majority of working men
however, continued to live as ‘bachelors’, the trade-mark description of
young men.
The expat labor, over the years, filled every type of skills required at
homes and beyond, to the extent that the expat population overgrew the local
population manifold.
The root cause was and continues to be - the need for expat labor skills…
from the lowest level to the highest echelon of society, the expat skills
have come to stay for good, blending with the local population’s investment
potential, to create these cities with teeming millions drawn from all
corners of the globe.
In so doing, it is but natural, that some ill-effects of society come to
play, which is no exception anywhere in the world.
“we have all been transformed from citizens with mutual needs into consumers
with competing appetites” Steward Dakers in his essay titled “Don’t blame
the young for society’s ills”.
For those ‘bachelors’ who visit family once in two years, which is the norm
here, appetite is more than satiating hunger for food. When there is a ready
consumer demand for this kind of appetite, there is always a provider of
‘service’. No society is an exception to the world’s oldest profession.
Similarly, there are service providers to satisfy the consumer appetite for
a “drink”. Strict enforcement purely on religious grounds in isolated
pockets in the region, will always be a “catch me if you can” game.
Greed, corruption and social illiteracy are prevalent in all societies. If
the Expat community is found to be indulging in this, it is because, there
are willing corroborators among local nationals. Visa trafficking, illegal
driving license in thousands are but a few examples in Kuwait, as there are
other illegal activities prevalent elsewhere.
Such aberrations aside, it is my sincere hope that there is mutual
recognition and appreciation between the expat community and the local
populace, for the betterment of the nations in this part of the world. One
cannot survive without the other, is a simple truth.
=============================================================
* Dystopian society: A futuristic, imagined universe in which
oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are
maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or
totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario,
make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system.
=============================================================
Wish you all a safe & a happy week end.
==============================================
A budding artist exhibited his recently done painting (piece of art), in a
public place, with great confidence. Before he went home for lunch, he left
a note requesting the viewers to mark with a (X), wherever they felt there
was a mistake. When he came back in the evening, he was shocked beyond words
to find every inch of his favourite painting, covered with numerous (X)s. In
tears, he ran back to his Great Master, from whom he had learnt art.
"Go and paint another piece of art" commanded the Master. "Before exhibiting
it, come to me for guidance".
In a few days, the student completed another beautiful painting and took it
to his Master, who whispered some instructions in his ears. Returning to the
public place, the budding artist put up his painting on display.
However, this time, he left a request note asking the viewers to CORRECT any
mistakes which they might find in the artist's painting. He provided some
bottles of paint and a few brushes to do the correction and left for lunch.
When he returned in the evening, he was surprised to find that his painting
was left untouched by any of the viewers!
===========================================
The above story sums up the flak received by the expat community in Gulf
countries, especially in societies like Saudi Arabia & Kuwait, where the
checks & controls are the highest.
The name of the game here is – blame & find fault. Blame the expats for
everything – from traffic jams, petty thefts, crime, road rage, illegal
activities et al.
The magic solution that surfaced out of the available local intellect is
simple and swift – deport all the expats. The society sans the expats will
be simply beautiful and clean !! I am not joking. An actual Govt decision is
being implemented since a year now in Kuwait, affecting the lower strata of
the expat community, with the full punching power of the enforcement.
No further elucidation is necessary to the consequences of such a fantasy
solution, if ever it becomes a reality, where the vast majority of the
national population are privileged to live from cradle to grave courtesy the
Govt. It is sad to see before our eyes, vast majority of successive
generations losing the will to work, let alone the need to work and earn an
income.
I am a resident in Kuwait with family, conducting peacefully what I am here
for, with due respect to the laws of the land and co-existing well with the
large expat community & local nationals for our daily lives and for
business. Together with my family, colleagues and quite a big circle of
friends & acquaintances at various levels, we are pretty happy to be here
and feel totally at home.
Being away from homeland, for past two decades plus, in the Middle East,
this is more ‘home’ to us that the real home, where we feel like fish out of
water in many respects. We do realize that at the end of the day, when our
innings in this turf is over, we have to head back to our homeland, where we
have to adjust quite a bit, to feel ‘local’ again after the long spell of
being just a visitor, always with a return ticket. The very thought gives
most of us a feeling of ‘discomfort’ .. though it is known that all those
who headed back with no return tickets, are happy and contented, especially
the youngsters, with the doors wide open to the nature, rather than the
confines of temperature controlled living.
It is not the temperature alone that is controlled in our daily lives here
in the Gulf. The six countries that form the GCC, have controls of different
rigidity, wherein Saudi Arabia can be considered as the most rigid, followed
by Kuwait. The other four nations are almost on par with respect to social &
moral controls – the UAE being the least rigid perhaps.
In Kuwait, the entire expat community is facing a new level of criticism,
being blamed for all the ills of the society. Expats are found guilty for
many a problem that are but natural by-products of a society which is
multi-culture in nature and very heterogeneous in its composition.
We were witness to the draconian measures implemented to “capture” erring
expats, over very trivial violations, leading to arbitrary deportations. The
fear psychosis prohibited many to venture out. Shops, restaurants, usual
gathering spots and roads were near empty. Traffic reduced overnight. All
the locals were happy. The local newspapers and columnists praised the
policies and measures taken by the super cop. Over enthusiasm for creating
an Utopia in Kuwait, sans all low level expats, almost led to creation of a
near Dystopian society*.
Among the deported are those found violating visa rules. Forgotten is the
sad fact that the expats thus found at fault, are mere victims.. while those
behind this menace, the hiring companies owned by locals, laugh all the way
to the bank enriching themselves out of the sweat, toil and tears of those
whose voice will never be heard and to whom justice is but a distant dream.
The nations that form the GCC were a happy-go-lucky laid back tribal
settlements living in harsh conditions at the mercy of vast expanse of
brutal desert sands. From such hamlets that never wake up, to sizzling
metropolis that never sleeps, all within a few decades, has been a
transformation that human settlements have never seen anywhere else in the
world, since the dawn of civilization.
This sudden boom came about with the discovery of oil, the black gold. One
by one, each nation prospered. The demand for man-power was immense, to
harness this natural resource to its various downstream products and offer
to the hungry world. In return, wealth beyond the wildest of dreams flowed
into these regions.
The influx of men, materials and machines continued through the years, to
fill various types of needs and skills, in giving shape to brand new
multi-cultural cities.
The new cities offered varieties of occupation for those willing to come and
settle down on terms & conditions that compensated for factors such as
living away from family, grinding work schedule, harsh weather, alien
culture, language etc.
With the coming of men, came the needs of men to be also met. Gradually over
the years, the new cities saw expat families settling down to raise a new
generation away from homeland. The luxury of living with families was
confined to a privileged small percentage. The majority of working men
however, continued to live as ‘bachelors’, the trade-mark description of
young men.
The expat labor, over the years, filled every type of skills required at
homes and beyond, to the extent that the expat population overgrew the local
population manifold.
The root cause was and continues to be - the need for expat labor skills…
from the lowest level to the highest echelon of society, the expat skills
have come to stay for good, blending with the local population’s investment
potential, to create these cities with teeming millions drawn from all
corners of the globe.
In so doing, it is but natural, that some ill-effects of society come to
play, which is no exception anywhere in the world.
“we have all been transformed from citizens with mutual needs into consumers
with competing appetites” Steward Dakers in his essay titled “Don’t blame
the young for society’s ills”.
For those ‘bachelors’ who visit family once in two years, which is the norm
here, appetite is more than satiating hunger for food. When there is a ready
consumer demand for this kind of appetite, there is always a provider of
‘service’. No society is an exception to the world’s oldest profession.
Similarly, there are service providers to satisfy the consumer appetite for
a “drink”. Strict enforcement purely on religious grounds in isolated
pockets in the region, will always be a “catch me if you can” game.
Greed, corruption and social illiteracy are prevalent in all societies. If
the Expat community is found to be indulging in this, it is because, there
are willing corroborators among local nationals. Visa trafficking, illegal
driving license in thousands are but a few examples in Kuwait, as there are
other illegal activities prevalent elsewhere.
Such aberrations aside, it is my sincere hope that there is mutual
recognition and appreciation between the expat community and the local
populace, for the betterment of the nations in this part of the world. One
cannot survive without the other, is a simple truth.
=============================================================
* Dystopian society: A futuristic, imagined universe in which
oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are
maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or
totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario,
make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system.
=============================================================
Wish you all a safe & a happy week end.
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