Making A Difference

Dubai

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Indeed. Religion is a strong binding force for the region's Sikhs. Says Khandari: "We are highly respected by the Arab community and we stand out in a crowd." Sarabjit Kaur, wife of Kamaljit Singh, the proprietor of H.A. Aircon, feels Dubai is a safer place than India. She has been living here for 18 years and would like to stay on. "All our business interests are here," she says.

But life for the labourers is tough. The split shift-9 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm-totals almost 10 draining hours. The accommodation provided is bare, with at least three to a room. They look forward to the gathering at Al Khos, where Sikhs and other Punjabis meet for prayers every Friday and a sumptuous dinner is served by volunteers.

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Gurdip Singh, a carpenter with a textile company, says he's happy, but he misses his wife and child. "I send almost 300 dirhams home every month, and manage with about 500. In India, I would never have earned so much," he says. Gurdip wants to build a house and then bring his family over to Dubai.

Vijit Singh Kamal and his Rajput wife have been here for only three months. Vijit Singh works as a bank manager in abn amro. Having worked in almost all of India's cosmopolitan cities and picked up his degree in the US, he calls himself a broad-minded, modern Sikh. Not overtly religious, he would welcome the chance to get involved in community activities.

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He is proud to wear the turban and says that he's never experienced an adverse reaction: "My experience in the US was good and it seems the same here. Girls in India do not want to marry a man who wears the turban; it's a bit like a girl not wanting to marry a man with a moustache."

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