DUBAI // It has been a tradition that has gone on in Dubai on August 14 for more than three decades.
On the morning of Pakistan Independence Day each year, the owner of Ravi Restaurant puts on a lavish free breakfast at the Pakistani Consulate for 500 members of the community.
Despite their humble appearance, the restaurant chain is extremely popular, with patrons of all nationalities frequenting the three branches to enjoy the delicious Mughlai-Pakistani food.
Its owner, Chaudary Abdul Hameed, has provided the meal to mark Independence Day for the last 35 years.
According to him, this is the least he can do to show his gratitude to the UAE and his own countrymen.
“This party is not from my side only. It is from everyone in the Pakistan community. I just represent them,” he said.
Mr Hameed, who is popularly known as Chaudary Sahib, arrived in the UAE on January 1, 1970 from Wazir-Abad, in Punjab province of Pakistan.
Since then he never looked back.
“This is my home now. I have not visited my village since the last eight years. I don’t feel like going. I feel more peaceful and happy here,” he said.
He started his life in the UAE as a labourer, earning only Dh250 a month.
“I am grateful to the UAE. It has given so much love and respect to an ordinary labourer like me,” he said.
“I have seen hard times in life and I know the importance of good food in the lives of these hardworking people here. That’s why I make sure no one should feel left out especially when we are celebrating our National Day,” he added.
He urged his countrymen to respect and love the UAE.
“This country has given all of us a lot. It provides bread and butter to our families here and back home and has given us so much that we couldn’t dream in our homes back there. This place has special blessings from Allah,” he said.
He is, however, concerned the present civil unrest in his home country.
“It is such a beautiful country and I don’t know what goes wrong. I pray for things to improve in Pakistan,” he said.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
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The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
