By IANS,
(IANS Book Review)
Book: “India and the UAE: In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship”; Author: Venu Rajamony; Publisher: Indian Expressions Management Consultancy
Ties between India and the Arabian Gulf are now over 5,000 years old. The Gulf is today home to around five million expatriate Indians. Of them, around 1.5 million reside in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their contribution to that country’s development is well acknowledged.
“India and the UAE: In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship”, a 260-page coffee table book authored by Venu Rajamony, a former Indian consul general in Dubai, is the first such book to encapsulate the historic ties between the two nations.
Based on Rajamony’s research and interactions with the Emirates and expatriate Indians there during the course of his three-year tenure as consul general, the book is a treasure trove of facts and figures, embellished by valuable pictures, and covers the entire spectrum of relationships between India and the Gulf nation in detail.
Starting with a royal message by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, and a foreword by Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE’s minister for higher education and scientific research, the book is divided into five major chapters – history, political relations, business, health and education, and people.
The book takes the reader through a journey of time with ancient and modern narratives complemented by facts and figures laid out in proper perspective.
Another highlight is the collection of rare black and white photographs of Indian and UAE leaders interacting with each other in the decades gone by.
The tome is also peppered with interviews of ministers and leaders of business in the UAE and recounts the success stories of Indian entrepreneurship in that Gulf nation, establishing the strong relationship between the people of the two countries that continue in these modern and dynamic times.
The cover is adorned by a painting by master artist M.F. Husain. It portrays the strong association between the two nations through the metaphor of two feminine forms astride the Indian tiger and the Arab stallion, essaying strength, nobility and grace.
A collector’s delight, especially for those interested in India-Arab ties, “In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship” is a publication of Indian Expressions Management Consultancy, a UAE-based company that creates and develops India-UAE focussed events and forums.