Jan 12, 2002 11:38 PM
9287 Views
(Updated Jan 12, 2002 11:47 PM)
OK, so non-hindi speakers missed the meaning of my title - I shall elaborate.
Dubai, or virtually any place in the middle-east, has a major race problem. the newly-rich oil citizenry of this part of the world has realized that they need the technology of the western countries to tap into their oil reserves as well as to stay a modern society. Our great country of India and other south-east asian countries have contributed tremendously to these nations, but we are stereotypically known for providing untrained labor. And so if you're brown or dark skinned, you're likely to be treated as a second-class person in every setting in the mid-east.
For all their complaints of how Israel treats Palestinians badly, if only our oil-rich arab friends would look in the mirror for how they treat Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, they'd have a huge realization. But I promise you, I am not holding my breath.
With that as my preamble, Dubai's DXB airport always leaves a not-so-much-fun experience for me when I am there.
The place is world-class as far as infrastructure goes. The experience is not as smooth as one'd expect say in Europe of America - the proportion of passengers that need guidance beyond just the posted signs is much larger. So the airport tends to be loud. It is not enough that the sign posts ''Flight XYZ is now ready for departure, all passengers should be on-board'' - you have scores of airline personnel that go around staring into the eyes of every (non-white) passenger asking if they are where they should be. This part, I think, is a matter of necessity. It's novel at first and amusing - but the clamor makes it annoying pretty quickly.
Let's talk about infrastructure: high ceilings, lots and lots of shopping (it's a duty-free port and Dubai has marketed itself as a shopper's paradise - and the drama starts at the airport), lounges are spacious. For all this, I give it high marks. The facility is clean. Clean, as distinct from IG International or Sahar airports in India. Our airports literally stink. Stink as in bad breath. the magnitude of how dirty Indian airports are hits you when you land here from overseas. So Dubai is clean. Bright and clean and easy on the eyes.
But the moment you run into immigration, all people of eastern countries are treated as though they were sub-humans. Immigration officers are less than polite. Some even blatantly rude. The word racist comes to mind.
For all the infrastructure, for all the cleanliness, the filth of the racist attitude spoils my experience.
Having said all that -
I want to hold a mirror to us. Not only are Indian airports filthy - I think I have made that point - I think our infrastructure stinks too. It's not dismissable that India is a third world - I suspect they spend as much as any intl airport to maintain it but the corrupt ranks of pols and officials pocket the money. And I also think our airport officials are unfriendly and curt. Like all tribal societies, people don't smile at you unless they know you. And at the slightest incidence of misunderstanding you, they start to suspect you of something wrong and will assume you guilty until you prove your innocence. Bigots all. The only exception to this is if they want to hit you up for some ''tip'' money in which case they drop all human dignity and beg.
God, change my land for the better.
God, rid Dubai and other places of racism.
<all say Amen>
Conclusion: Not as good as it could be. Not as bad as it could be. Sort of like life - except with a small shift in attitude, it's got the makings of something great.
