Down memory lane

It was five years ago, that I met Jassim Obaid Jassim Al Baggali at the Textile Souq in Bur Dubai. A man selling beads, baubles and souvenirs in his tiny corner shop. Sprightly, fun-loving and energetic, he was 75 when Friday published his picture in the November 4-9, 2005 issue. Keen to touch base with him once again, I decided to visit his shop recently... and there he was. Al Baggali appeared to have aged a bit. There were some more creases on his face and his beard looked a little more snowy. He stood up shakily to welcome me. But though he has slowed down a bit, his energy remains as infectious as ever.

In his little corner kiosk, Al Baggali has added books and gifts to his range of goods but what I realised he enjoys the most is being surrounded by people, something he enjoyed even as a boy of 13. He still meets, interacts and chats with people. Al Baggali recalls the times when potable water was supplied on donkey-back and the souq lit up with earthen lamps. "Dubai has changed but people are the same. All those who visited my shop five years ago, still visit it today. Children and women love to buy shiny beads, tourists look for the inexpensive memento... I think life's basic issues remain the same. People are still trying to earn a living and are chasing a dream just as we were years ago."

A man of many talents, Al Baggali is a school dropout who learnt several trades at the souq by interacting with the other merchants around. And the range is interesting: from repairing pumps, to selling oranges and lemon sherbert in the blistering summer heat when canned soft drinks were unheard of. Even today, he continues to do just that, barely scraping a livelihood from his humble shop. But he is an endearing soul, much-loved by the community of shopkeepers around him. On days when he is unwell, his shop remains open as the neighbours keep a watchful eye until he returns.