M Natarajan, 57, is a finance executive in Dubai, originally from Chennai in India. He has been working in the Arabian Gulf for the past 30 years. Here, he talks about his obligations to share wealth in his family.
I take care of my family. In terms of my children, both of them were educated in Dubai, and since I believe that higher education is very important today, I hope for them to study to a postgraduate level. I strongly believe that India offers excellent opportunities for undergraduate studies, while places like the US are valuable for postgraduate studies.
Following his undergraduate studies in India, my son had been working there and is now looking to apply for an MBA programme in the US. My daughter is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in India and then will either look for a job or go for postgraduate studies. It’s very important to provide your children with the strongest base possible in terms of education so that they are able to pursue successful careers and do well in life.
In terms of my parents and in-laws, they all live in India and I provide them with support whenever I need to. I have been doing it quite regularly recently as their medical requirements are increasing as they get older.
So I certainly do have financial obligations to my family, but as part of Indian culture, it’s important to support both your parents and your children while you are earning. In terms of planning for my retirement, it’s definitely hard to think about it when you are working, but I do need to start. While I do expect my children to support me if necessary when I retire, I hope not to be dependent on them and to be financially secure.
business@thenational.ae
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Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
