He laid the right rules
Shaadaab S. Bakht
@ShaadaabSBakhtShaadaab S. Bakht, who worked for famous Indian dailies The Telegraph, The Pioneer, The Sentinel and wrote political commentaries for Tehelka.com, is Gulf Today’s Executive Editor.
Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam. File
The new century had just entered its 14th year when catastrophe struck the Taryam family and all who considered their patriarch, Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam, their benefactor.
It was January 30, 2014, a sunny day. But we didn’t know the rays of the day contained a life-shattering sorrow. Before the sun could peak everything turned dark. Everything appeared charred as the father of four and master of many made an untimely departure. He left his family without its most popular face and his country without one of its famous sons.
Dr Abdullah Taryam had unconditionally hitched his destiny to a hymn of principles in return for a life of lavish ethical fulfilment and prosperity.
There isn’t any doubt that he very much enjoyed a place of prominence in social circles, political and intellectual, but never ever exploited that strength and position to inflame prejudice at the level of faith, at the level of colour and at the level of class. In that order, strictly.
Dr Abdullah Taryam had unconditionally hitched his destiny to a hymn of principles in return for a life of lavish ethical fulfilment and prosperity.
The former United Arab Emirates minister never hid behind excuses because, unlike most politicians, he wasn’t hidebound. He found relief only in the right rules. Some he followed, some he wrote. And we know for sure, he spread all of them.
Dr Abdullah Taryam led from the front. He was not a passive spectator to life’s problems but an active participant in their resolution. He never spoke from the comfort of his chair, but moved in to tackle crises.
Dr Abdullah Taryam and his lovely family — Mr Khalid Taryam, Ms Amira Taryam, Mr Omran Taryam, Ms Aysha Taryam and their graceful mother — were recovering from the shock of losing Dr Abdullah Taryam’s mother (2013) when heartless tragedy decided to make a re-entry (January 30, 2014). Destiny transplanted the scorching summer of 2013 to the winter of 2014.
May his soul rest in peace.
