CHANDER GUPTA
Frankly, I have visited just two foreign countries – both within Asia – in 66 years of life so far. Whereas many of my friends and relatives have been to Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, etc. The first of the two countries that I have been to, was Singapore in 2017. The second was the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2025. Singapore, which lies to the east of India, is ahead by 2 hours and 30 minutes. On the other hand, the UAE – which lies to the west – is 1 hour and 30 minutes behind India.
Singapore is a sovereign city-state. The entire country consists primarily of one major urban area (the city of Singapore) along with surrounding islands. The UAE is a federal union consisting of seven semi-autonomous emirates, each governed by its own ruler. The Emirate I toured was Dubai (the most populous and known for commerce/tourism).
Singapore is a multiracial and multicultural society. In the ethnic composition of the resident population, Chinese account for 74%, Malaysians 15%, Indians (Tamilians) 9%, and Others around 2%. Tamilians are the third largest ethnic group in Singapore. In Dubai, the local population (Emirati nationals or UAE citizens) makes up approximately just 8% of the total population, while expatriates account for about 92%.
Exuding aesthetics, both Singapore and the UAE flaunt top-class civic infrastructure and core cleanliness. Though shorn of heritage monuments, the cities of Singapore and Dubai have erected modern monuments and man-made marvels. Both these countries have become tourist hubs despite lacking in natural sites like hill stations and major sea beaches. The transportation in both these countries is swift and smooth.
In both Singapore and Dubai, we had to encounter some embarrassment for taking liberties in public spaces which are acceptable in the local environment back home. In Singapore, we were a group of seven people sightseeing together. We had hired a big van, accommodating all seven comfortably, for sightseeing. Upon boarding the van the first time, we started opening some wrappers of packaged snacks as soon as the driver ignited the engine. The driver, a Tamilian Singaporean, told us firmly (rather sternly), to eschew munching inside the van. We sheepishly made an excuse that we were just opening a mouth-freshener sachet. Without relenting, he unambiguously prohibited us from chewing anything sitting inside the van. That was their way of keeping the interiors of vehicles free from stains and droppings.
In Dubai, my wife and I went up the top of the famed Burj Khalifa in a super-fast elevator at an exorbitant fee. A breath-taking view of Dubai panned out before the tourists at the top. Some cushioned chairs were placed along the parapet on the edge for weary tourists to sit and relax. My wife sat on one such chair and by habit stretched her legs pressing her feet against the parapet for support. An imposing Emirate official, attired in traditional Arabian robes, emerged from nowhere to object to my wife resting her feet against the parapet wall. But he was very polite, muttering the word ‘sorry’ also while gesturing to my wife to remove her feet from the parapet wall. No wonder you find everything glittering in Dubai as they do not let it become unclean even in the smallest way.
A tale of two cities
