A Sunday Evening spent with migrant brothers from Bangladesh at the Banglar Kantha office understanding the variegated pandemic micro labor geography of the construction worker in Singapore.

I was joined by my uncle and Cousin in the dialogue in Bangla.

Thank you Mohsin Da for your guidance and mentoring over the years.

Listening to first person narratives is a humbling experience.

#everydaysingapore

Oman needs to be viewed from the Indian Ocean rather than the Rub Al Khali, the vocab for Beirut can’t be applied to Sur. Oman was never really one country until 1971, or 1979 with the Imamate and the Dhofar Revolution but national integration was successful during Baba Qaboos, the Late Sultan. Oil was a booster pack but never had the leverage of Abu Dhabi. The locus of analysis itself is problematic. Oman should be compared to Ajman in UAE rather than Dubai.

The former Sultans are being reinstated at the National Museum at present, and large realignments happening with Riyadh via Ibri.

Today i found Bangali Kichuri in Pasar Panjang, run by a man from Digha who was chatting away in Tamil with his owners. The tattooed chef serves up a mean khichuri. It had the essence of ghorua khichuri. Happiness comes in a bite (or a full plate)!

In a time where mere survival is an achievement, the sense of meaning can make a world of difference.
Joy is hope and somewhat radical. A remaking needs hope.

Culture is a vital aspect of any entrepreneurship venture as Oman has a culture of dhando vado, with the Shia Lawatiyahs and Hindu Banias from Kutch, however the inland tribes were not as mobile. Oman had a maritime empire before oil, and that spirit needs to be recovered. An effective way would be to tap talent within the trader castes aka Omani Lawatiyahs or Ajmis for entrepreneurship. Oman is not talent void.

Oman is the ideal renewable playing ground with ample free land, good port and road infrastructure, sun and talent not accounting for the strategic location.

#AsliOmani

“I do not want to look at your cv.. If you have not upgraded in the last 6 months like an iPhone, it is of not much use” : Emaar’s Mohamed Alabbar on AB Talks

The masala chai was perfect here at this north Indian place next to the Indian Heritage Centre. Nice to chat in Hindi with the owner and the service crew.

The 1970’s Bollywood tracks playing in a packed Little India on a Sunday evening has a different aesthetic.

Bismillah Biryani lives up to its Michelin star billing.

Had it in its original store in Dunlop Street in the Little India area.

The aesthetics brought me to a biryani place in the Gulf.

The taste is just like in the Gulf as well.

The reason people, particularly the young, work in startups is to work at levels they would not be able to work in big organizations but build the capacity to transfer them to other contexts later.