Dubai: A driver who has collected hundreds of Gulf News published pictures of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, wishes to present them to the Dubai Ruler in light of the 41st UAE National Day.
Indian Moni George, 43, who hails from Kerala, began cutting and collecting Shaikh Mohammad’s pictures on Gulf News in 2003. He said the ruler’s charm, authority, and efficiency as a leader drew him to this hobby.
With his meager salary then of Dh1,700 a month George bought the newspaper to get Shaikh Mohammad’s pictures.
He said he chose Gulf News because of the quality of the pictures published on glossy paper.
“Almost daily I was buying [Gulf News]. Sometimes I don’t have money to buy. Then later on, one of my relatives in the office who was a Gulf News subscriber offered to give me his newspaper after reading it,” George told Gulf News from his room in a labour accommodation in Al Quoz.
He would painstakingly cut each picture for around three to six hours a week after work or during his day off.
“I have to cut the pictures very slowly so it will be precise. When everyone’s asleep, the lights will be switched off. So I’ll use a small light to paste the pictures to the album,” George said.
As the pictures became bigger, George felt the need to buy a bigger album — larger than the actual newspaper. He searched the entire UAE but failed.
Several months into his search, he finally found one in India in 2005. He got a customised and somewhat pricy album measuring 1.5 metres by half a metre, and weighing 23 kilograms.
“My wife went to pick up the album and it was so heavy she couldn’t carry it all by herself. She called me and said, “Are you crazy?” But she took all the pain to take it and then had it delivered to Dubai through our relatives,” George said.
The album, which has pictures in all its 200 pages, back-to-back, now weighs more than 27 kilograms. George had a stand designed for it to place the album near his bed.
“I keep it completely covered and I sleep below it and make sure dirt doesn’t accumulate on it or anything. I value it as if it is my baby,” George said.
George said he had kept the first page of the album blank for several years because he was reserving it for Shaikh Mohammad’s best picture.
This picture came in August 2012 after Shaikh Mohammad’s momentous feat at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships in the UK.
“It is my dream to present this album to Shaikh Mohammad, to present it at his feet, and have a picture taken with him,” George said.
George said he hopes to use that picture for the front page of his next album. He also hopes to enter the Guinness world record for having the most number of published pictures of Shaikh Mohammad.
“As to how long I’ll be doing this, I still don’t know. But as long as I am getting the newspaper, I’ll continue doing this.”
