The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

God created man. Man committed a blunder. He created class, the root of all unease.

I came in as a human being, they made me a Muslim, then an Indian, then a Bengali and then sheer necessity made me an employee.

I was a boy, and full of innocence and love, till I left Calcutta. But became a Bengali on landing in New Delhi.

In every party, I was at least reminded once of being a Bengali. The host and guests, egged on by Delhi’s subterranean haughtiness, would make it a point to mock my fondness for rice. Or attribute my argumentative nature to my province. I would pretend to laugh them off because of the brute majority. The strength of numbers is something that I never ignore.

What bothers me is that the same guys would be seen elsewhere talking about inequality and prejudice in society and how they were tearing up harmony. I was subsequently forced to conclude that topics like equality and communalism were a wonderful way to pass time during long flights, train journeys and overnight wedding parties. Nothing more.

‘I was a boy, and full of innocence and love, till i left Calcutta. But became a Bengali on landing in New Delhi’

But on reaching the United Arab Emirates I discovered that things could be different provided we want it. There are 200 nationalities and all of them live in perfect harmony. Ethnic clashes are a foreign concept to this land, lying close to the promised land. And this wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership’s commitment to peace.

I landed here decades ago and my love of undemanding company found me a friend in the beaches of the Emirates.

Accordingly, I took to their offerings in the evenings on a regular basis. I used to feel the breeze for hours after sundown. I used to speak to the waves because they have always kept my feelings a secret.

The UAE allowed my individualism a free play. I got a group of men and women as friends. I was happy I had created my own little association, where membership was not by colour or language, but by love. The fee was a smile. And the gate said whiners not allowed.

My employer’s only concern was whether I knew my English, the landlord’s whether I was a bona fide resident and my friend’s whether I was nice. In other words, I was not subjected to unnecessary questioning, which amounts to harassment. But it isn’t like that everywhere. This little country is as huge as the universe when it comes to values.