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(ARCHIVE) Vol. Vol. XVIII No. 14, november 1-15, 2008
Fire and Ice in Kuwait
(By Mithran Devanesen)

A few months ago, Anita Ratnam, K. B. Madhusudhan, Premnath, Ajeesh and I took wing and headed for Kuwait for a dance performance sponsored by the South Indian Cultural Society of Kuwait. Our flight took us via Colombo where we had a four-hour layover. Colombo has a small but interesting Duty Free Shopping Arcade and as we tried to while away the time between flights, we wandered about the duty free shops. At one shop, Anita was recognised not for the over 1200 performances she has given, but for her cameo role in the Tamil film Boys! The shopkeeper plied us with food and refused payment – so much for the power of Cinema! I also discovered the ultimate in recycling – paper products made from elephant dung! (For the disbeliever, I have a sheet of paper with me and you are welcome to feel, touch or taste it!)

Finally, our flight was announced and we settled down for the five-hour flight to Kuwait. It was night when we landed and from the air the city shimmered like gold and diamonds. Outside, waiting for us was Dr. Latha Srinivasan, President of the SICS, and her team. As we drove into town, Latha (a dentist by profession and a resident of Kuwait for 20 years) explained that the money to be raised by our performance would go towards a project called ‘SHE’ which provides sanitary napkins for the rural poor in Tamil Nadu and to ‘Ignite’ which gives scholarships to underprivileged children.

The next day I was driven around Kuwait. Newly rebuilt after the Iraqi war, the city boasts some fine architecture – lowrise, in preference to highrise. The buildings were painted the colours of the desert – standstone, dune, ochre. I thought to myself how environmentally friendly would it be, but discovered it was a bit of pragmatism, as the city is often lashed by dust storms and dust does not show up on these colours.

We had tea with the Indian Ambassador, Mr. Ganapathy from Chennai, and he told me that the ABCDs (Ayahs, Butlers, Cooks & Drivers) from India have slowed down to a trickle. Most labour now comes from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia. Indians are highly respected as a majority of them are professionals. No self-respecting Kuwaiti works! Why should he work, when there is plenty of cheap labour?! With over 180 new buildings coming up, the labour market is flooded. What Kuwait has going for it is the Kuwaiti Dinar (over $US4 to the Dinar) backed by its oil reserves, cheap labour and a manageable population. Thanks to cheap fuel (Rs. 8 per litre), and to unlimited water and power which come almost free. In fact, there are no water taxes in Kuwait. A visit to the supermarket where you can buy anything from ostrich eggs to fresh fruit (strawberries, watermelon and cucumbers are grown locally) from all over the world confirmed that food is not too expensive by international standards. The fish market was like an air-conditioned 3-star hotel – not a fly or a sniff of odour. Eating out is affordable and all the big names, from TGIF to Saravana Bhavan, are there. Air-conditioning is taken for granted, but anything else is twice as expensive as, say, in the US. SUVs and Hummers are the cars of choice. I must confess it was a bit disconcerting to see a huge SUV come hurtling towards you driven by a woman in full burkha! Traffic is well regulated – break a red light and you are deported. Drunken driving is rare, as there is no liquor in Kuwait. But you can buy a bottle of Red Label for US$150 in the black or, if you are the desperate type, a cocktail of aftershave lotion and Pepsi, which is the drink of the poor.

It was driven past the homes of the rich and famous Kuwaiti Arab families – luxurious villas with private beachfronts, Lexus and Ferraris were parkd in the courtyard and air-conditioned stables housed Arbian thoroughbreds and camels! I sniggered and was quickly ticked off; some of the camels cost over US$1 million each! Recently a camel in Dubai sold for US$4.5 million! The waters of the Gulf are emerald green and the seaside is spotless with picnic areas, restaurants, fishing, marinas and water theme parks. The Twin Towers and the Freedom Tower dominate the skyline, soon to be changed by one of the world’s tallest buildings now under construction.

Back at the performance titled Fire & Ice, Anita and the boys stunned a full house made up of Indians, expats and Kuwaitis. I counted at least six Ambassadors in the audience. Anita’s performance of Asai Mugham moved several to tears. To give you an idea of costs, lighting and sound which I get in Madras for a maximum of Rs. 15,000 a day cost a lakh of rupees there!

In the audience was Lidia Qattan, one of Kuwait’s most respected artistes and critics. She invited us to her home – a privilege shared by few. We were not prepared for what we saw, a house done up with pieces of broken mirrors – walls, doors, ceiling, floors, fans, lights, bathtubs and even toilet seats, all embellished with millions of pieces of mirror stuck in mesmeric designs and whorls by Lidia herself with no outside help. She gave us a grand tour of the house-cum-art museum – no two rooms were alike – an artist’s and designer’s dream.

The next day The Arab Times had a full page review hailing the show as one of the most professional performances to be seen in Kuwait. Anita was singled out for her innovative dance, saying that it spoke louder than words.

We said goodbye to our hosts Latha and Srini and their team, and left with pleasant memories made richer by the fact that we had helped helping hands to reach across the waters to help the needy in Tamil Nadu.

I stopped off for a few days in Sri Lanka – I simply had to get hold of that recycled elephant dung paper! And when I got back I heard that ‘SHE’ was setting up a low cost (biodegradable) sanitary napkin manufacturing unit with an SHG in Chennai.

 

In this issue

Power-hungry buildings...
Political rallies...
The Parsis of Madras...
German Photographers...
Historic residences...
On the Bookshelves...
Schizophrenia...
Will Tamil Nadu...
Fire and Ice in Kuwait
Other stories in this issue...
 

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