Taxi Drivers
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Oct 26, 2014
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Taxi Drivers of Abu Dhabi
A car stops next to our taxi because the driver wants directions. The driver, clearly South Asian, asks for directions to Abu Dhabi Mall in English. Our cab driver, Mohiyuddin, 37, from Kerala, India, refuses to engage with the driver in any other language than Arabic, which the driver evidently did not speak. The driver, frustrated, gives up and drives past us.
“She was clearly South Asian,” Mohiyuddin tells me in Hindi, “Why wasn’t she speaking to me in Hindi? Why speak to me in English?” Asyrique and I both have a good laugh.
Mohiyuddin initially refused to be interviewed or photographed for this article, unlike the other drivers we came across.
<p>“Beauty is on the inside,” he tells me. “Anything you photograph is given by God.” Eventually, I convince him that his words will be great in the article and he agrees.</p>
<p>“It’s difficult to save money even when you have lived here for 20 years. People spend money on girls dancing in hotels; they give them necklaces and gifts.” He doesn’t mention whether he was one of these people. “I send most of the money back home,” he says while taking off his sunglasses. “My children are happy because I send them money.”</p>
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<p>The conversation then unexpectedly shifts to electricity and housing in India. “I have installed solar panels in my house,” he remarks with a little pride. “People asked me, ‘Mohiyuddin, why install such expensive solar panels?’ Now I have electricity 24 hours a day and they know why.”</p>
<p>Mohiyuddin is a staunch advocate of higher education. He tells me the story of his son, who was initially a nurse and then dabbled in various things. His son is currently working in Abu Dhabi.</p>
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<p>“You are a waste paper if you don’t study. That’s what I am.” Before we departed, he made me promise I would complete my studies at NYU Abu Dhabi.</p>
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<p>Asyrique and I then came across Muhammad Saghir, from Muzzafarad, Pakistan.</p>
<p>He immediately recognized me and shouted, “Usman Sahib!” We start conversing in Urdu, with Saghir eyeing everything I was noting down, “I’ve been living here for three years. It’s a great city. There’s peace and security and you can walk outside whenever you want!”</p>
<p>He seems excited to be interviewed, I ask him about his children, “They ask me, ‘Why are you living there?’” he says, laughing a little. “But then they don’t ask anymore when I send money back home.” Saghir enjoys his job except for the long working hours. This is the case for every driver we talked to.</p>
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<p>Most drivers in Abu Dhabi work for about 13 to 15 hours per day, “But it’s a well paying job,” he reminds me. “Before I started working as a taxi driver, I worked as a supervisor in a steel mill. I earned 600 dirhams in a month but now I earn 4000 dirhams, of which I send 3000 back home.”</p>
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<p>We ask Saghir if he can take us to the place where taxi drivers hang out during their free time. He seems excited at the prospect of us documenting a part of his life. We arrived at a small tea shop near Electra Park. In front of the shop, there are five taxis lined up with taxi drivers standing outside, sipping chai.</p>
<p>As soon as I start interviewing Muhammad Atif, a taxi driver from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, several other drivers huddle around me.</p>
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<p>Atif is content with his job. “I’ll tell you something,” he says in a commanding tone, “taxi drivers eat the best.”</p>
<p>He is discontent with the political situation in Pakistan. He points out that Indians and Pakistanis are much closer outside of their respective countries, “It’s the politicians that are tearing us apart,” he says. The taxi drivers standing around me seemed to agree. It is a remark that is well received.</p>
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<p>One of those drivers is Anit Thapa from Kathmandu, Nepal who has been working in Abu Dhabi for four years and admits that his work is stressful but was also quick to add — not before sipping on some steaming tea — that tension was ever-present, “but those who find ways to combat it, win,” Thapa says. He missed his “friends, family and the smell of home.”</p>
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<p>Asyrique and I were then invited by Saghir to drink tea and eat some cake in the shop. We insisted to pay, but Saghir refused. We spent the next hour chatting about Islam, life as an expatriate, religious journeys and whether Abu Dhabi is a good place to work. We all agreed that it is, but that it also gets really lonely sometimes. We listened to a Hindi radio station all the way back to Saadiyat Island.</p>
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<p>Article by: <strong> Muhammad Usman </strong></p>
<p>Photography by: <strong> Asyrique Thevendran </strong></p>
<p>All photos copyright The Gazelle 2014</p>
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