Achieving Dreams and Realizing Ambitions: "My Story"!

I came across this remarkable book, My Story: 50 Memories from Fifty Years of Service, authored by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai during my recent trip to Dubai. This book serves as a window into the extraordinary life of Sheikh Mohammed and offers readers a chance to gain a deeper understanding of his vision, leadership philosophy, and the remarkable transformation he has brought about in his country. 

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Through his words, Sheikh Mohammed shares his personal reflections, memories, and lessons learned through his remarkable life journey. Let me first quote a few lines  from this extraordinary book:

"Many aspire to move to the UAE so they can achieve their dreams and realize their ambitions. Today, Dubai has become a global economic icon, thanks to the principles Sheikh Rashid installed in us and made part of our national culture." 

Inspired by these words of Sheikh Mohammed, two of my colleagues at MAPS geosystems, Sharjah, during the 1990s, embraced their entrepreneurial instincts, establishing thriving institutions aligned with their passions. Today, they stand as prominent and prosperous figures, their success embodying the spirit of ambition and entrepreneurship that the country encourages.

Coincidences and Connections

This book was gifted to me by one of them, Mr. Ummer Sahib, Director, Informap Technology Center, a leading provider of Location Based Solutions operating since 2002, when we visited him and his spouse Nazeem for lunch in their recently purchased villa on the outskirts of Dubai.

Ummer's Villa

Ummer Sahib

Alistair MacKenzie

I soon discovered by another fortuitous coincidence that this opulent gold gilt-edged book in Hardcover Edition, exuding a royal flair, is published by none other than my exceptionally successful friend, Alistair MacKenzie, the founder and CEO of Explorer Publishing, involved in  Publishing books, offering Mapping solutions, and Multi-disciplinary Studio services in Dubai. I left a message for Alistair who called me back. He talked about his son studying in a UK university, his future plans, and planned foray into the neighboring country of Saudi Arabia. I wished him well to get the publication rights of Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia's book too! 

Reminiscences

My first meeting with Ummer was in my Uncle's (VG Nambiar) office at Chempro Expertise in Mumbai during the job interview when he was inducted into our company.  My wife Vasantha used to invite my new colleagues home for lunch to make them feel at home in the new place they have landed in. When Ummer came over to Sharjah he visited us and talked passionately about his previous jobs including the one as a teacher in a Ooty public school.

Coincidently, Alistair was living in the building adjacent to my flat in the Bin Hamooda building at the Ruler's Office Square, Sharjah. One day he came home with his parents and Vasantha clearly recalls talking about their passion for gardening back home and their daily exploration on foot through the lengths and breadths of the Sharjah town and its environs during the winter days.

Ummer took off on his own after working for a decade with MAPS geosystems.  Alistair and me were sharing an office room for a couple of years, when he joined the company after his education in UK. He left the company early to blaze a unique trail by publishing his Dubai Explorer series of comprehensive street guides for residents and tourists to explore the various parts of Dubai city as well as its deserts. This series of publications with detailed street maps tremendously helped accelerate the tourism promotion ambition of Sheikh Mohammed.

It is interesting to recall that when young Sheikh Mohammed during the early1980s, on the sidelines of a GCC meeting, first mooted the idea of promoting Dubai as a tourist destination he was snubbed by a senior Foreign Affairs Minister with the remark,

"Sheikh Mohammed, what is the cultural heritage that the tourists will see? What are the sites that they will visit? Sands behind them, sea in front of them, and the sun above their heads?"

The history proved that these are precisely the ingredients that today attract millions of visitors to Dubai from all over the world by offering "a safe and secure environment with glorious  attractions, luxurious hotels and superbe services". 

No wonder UAE has turned out to be the best country in the world to relocate to and build family wealth, especially for a lot of Indians. My elder daughter, who landed in Sharjah at 10 years of age, continues to live in Dubai with her own entrepreneurial businesses Elan Consultancy and The Drum Camp.

About 'My Story'

My first impression of this book is that it is strikingly different from another book of a similar genre I happened to read - The Promised Land by Barack Obama. Both the books chronicle the historical events and the authors' personal anecdotes - Sheikh Mohammed from his 50 years of public service in UAE, and Barack Obama from his 8 years as the President of the United States - but in completely contrasting styles.

'My Story' demonstrates that there is a simple ordinary life behind even a great man. We come to know a young man who learned great lessons from the nature - sands, deserts, oceans, horses, pearl diving. These years of early, strenuous, and grit learning stood him in good stead while graduating from the concentrated training course at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, UK where he came on top of the class. At the age of just 19 years Sheikh Mohammed was appointed as the Minister of Defense of UAE in 1968.

Sheikh Mohammed at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, 1968

We learn from the book that his lessons are drawn from these experiences: 

"the rise and fall with the sun, reflecting the strength of stillness like the desert; the desert's harsh beauty and the ocean's vastness; deep connection with his environment, observing cycles of life and death, resilience and adaptation; the power of persistence like the waves; the importance of understanding one's strengths and limitations like a skilled rider." 

He imparts his distilled wisdom throughout the book. His wisdom flows not from a pedestal, but from a life lived, observed, and reflected upon. 

Sheikh Mohammed, one of the most successful racehorse owners in the world has devoted two full Chapters 46 The Fines Horse in the World and 47 Dubai Millennium to talk about his deep affection for horses. His personal horse Dubai Millennium won one of the world's biggest races, the 2000 Dubai World Cup on March 25th, 2000.

Author's Own Words

Here are some quotes (excerpted randomly from the book) that characterize Sheikh Mohammed's personality - simplicity, humility, complete faith in the wisdom of his father Sheikh Rashid and other elders, belief in a timeless and eternal God, devotion, hard work, benevolence, magnanimity, insights, capacity to gain accurate and deep understanding of people and situations. 

"No man is born perfect; we all need the minds and souls of others to complete our own. Everyone must continue learning no matter how much he or she achieves."

"I grew up and watched Arab rulers and government who never listen to the people, who ignored the citizens' dreams hopes and aspirations. I saw leaders of great nations overthrown because they made fundamental mistakes; they listened only to their most sycophantic advisors; surrounding themselves with people who glorified, praised and complemented their every action."

"I learned that study and exploration teach you lessons that stay with you throughout your life."

"To this day, I personally cannot understand anyone who does not respect their elders."

"Vanity, decisions of grandeur and believing in one's own strength and limited power are some of humankind's worst traits. We must acknowledge Divine power over everything."

About his horses he says, 

"This is when I first realized the pony's intelligence, sensitivity, tenderness and loyalty."

"From my horse, I learned that unconditional love is returned, that patience and dedication are rewarded and that giving your all to achieve success is the only path to victory."

"Horses,for the Arabs, are linked to honour, social status and magnanimity." 

On the contrast between the Western culture and the Arab Tradition: 

When he went to Cambridge to study and stayed at Mrs. Summers' house:

"I noted with pride that our first meal had been a leg of lamb. I thought that they must be like us Arabs, who prepare a whole animal to serve meat to honored guests as a sign of hospitality."

When Sheikh Mohammed, along with his father Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum first met the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1957-1963) at Downing Street, 

"My father sat to Macmillan's right. I was studying this leader intently when I became alarmed. I saw him start to cross his legs. It was a great insult in the Arab world to cross your legs so that the sole of your shoe faces your guest."

He mentions that father of the nation Sheikh Zayed would say, 

"People pass and money passes. Only the homeland remains; only the things that we have done for our people will endure."

In Conclusion

As I delved into the author's experiences, noting that I am only nine months older to him, I couldn't help myself drawing parallels between my formative years and Sheikh Mohammed's life journey. The simple life I had as a child with no electricity in our village, studying under a chimney lamp, with just the bare necessities of life had its own nostalgic charm. It's worth mentioning that a significant portion of my 27-year professional career (1987-2014) in UAE unfolded within the same settings of the history, landscape, and environs that this book talks about in detail. 

Incidentally, just two days ago, on the 14th February, the author of this book, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai handed over a personally signed copy to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.