For JR Gangaramani and many other wealthy Indians, the UAE is an extended suburb of Mumbai.
Mr Gangaramani first arrived on a visit visa nearly 40 years ago after his parents told him they could not afford for him to study a master's in civil engineering in the United States.
Here, he found a job helping to build the World Trade Centre in Dubai, the first tall building to spring up from the emirate's dusty terrain.
Six years later, he had launched his own construction firm in Al Ain, Al Fara'a Group, which now has operations spanning from Riyadh to his home city, Mumbai. He now owns homes in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Mumbai.
"For me, the UAE is the land of opportunities," says Mr Gangaramani, a father of three. "I have never met a businessman in the UAE who lost business if they had ethics and vision." Mr Gangaramani's story typifies the close links between the UAE and India built on the days when the two countries exchanged pearls and cotton and the Indian rupee was accepted as legal tender by Emirati traders.
Today, the UAE is home to more than 1 million Indians, and oil, gold and IT form part of the expanding flow of goods and services between the two countries. The UAE accounts for nearly half of India's US$144 billion (Dh528.94bn) trade with the Arab world.
And businesses are looking to bolster these ties even further.
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) has applied for a licence to the Reserve Bank of India to open a branch in Mumbai, its first in India.
"India is the biggest trading partner to the UAE so it will make perfect sense for us to be there," said Prakesh Sheth, the head of the international credit and marketing unit at NBAD, at the Arab India Partnership Conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday. "It will be the gateway for the Arab world who want to do investment and business in India and also for Indian companies wanting to set up in the Arab world."
Similarly, Bank of Baroda is seeking to further bolster its presence here as the Indian bank with the biggest footprint in the UAE.
It already has six branches and eight electronic customer centres, which allow for cash payments.
"The UAE is very important for us," said KV Rama Moorthy, the chief executive of GCC operations at Bank of Baroda. "We want to open three more electronic customer centres in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and an offshore wholesale banking branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre."
Both countries are increasingly keen to broaden commercial links with a particular focus on investment.
The Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi is talking to a number of firms from India about opening in the free zone, said a spokesman for the zone.
Officials hope more Indians will follow Mr Gangaramani's lead and make the Emirates a home from home.
"Despite great opportunities, I see few Indian firms in the UAE," said Mr Gangaramani.
tarnold@thenational.ae
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”