A pearl in the Indian diaspora
Gulf Indians may lack citizenship, but many of them want for little else
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YOU could be forgiven for finding the souks of Bur Dubai confusing. The lilting merchant patter, the scent of joss-sticks, the profusion of cashmeres, silks and cottons, and the polysyllabic splendour of shop names all evoke the shores of Gujarat rather than Arabia. The difference is that the names are spelled in English, the streets are spick and span, and the crowds look uniformly prosperous.
This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “A pearl in the Indian diaspora”
From the March 23rd 2002 edition
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