Dubai: Saying it with a song is how some Indian expats have chosen to express their love and gratitude to the UAE on its 45th National Day.
Gafoor Shas, who has a history of dedicating a song to the UAE on its National Day every year for 20 years, has teamed up with noted Emirati poet Abdullah Bin Shamma for his creation this time.
“I had started off with releasing audio cassettes in 1996. Majid Cassettes Audio Distribution Company, which is now known as Music Plus, used to help me bring out the albums. In all the editions, I used to include one song dedicated to the UAE,” said Shas, who now owns Team Arabia, a production company.
From cassettes, he moved to CDs and since 2010, Shas started posting his songs on YouTube. “Since it is the 45th anniversary of the UAE, I wanted to dedicate a song in Arabic on behalf of all Indian expatriates here,” said Shas.
Bin Shamma, who did the lyrics, music and direction for the song titled ‘Shukran’, said he jumped at the idea since he liked the passion and fluency with which Shas sings in Arabic. “I found it a unique collaboration between Indians and Emiratis. We have a long history of relationship with Indians. They are always thankful to the country for their life here. We are also proud that Indians have helped develop the country and we also want to thank them. As an Emirati, I am also saying thank you to my country.”
Dubai Days
Sulfiq L, a playback singer and lyricist, on Wednesday unveiled his new video song Dubai Days to commemorate the 45th UAE National Day.
Working as a traffic safety manager for the Roads and Transport Authority projects at Turkish firm MNG Gunal, Sulfiq had released another single titled ‘Marhaban UAE’ in 2012.
This time, the song sung in English and Arabic was shot in seven emirates, featuring the major landmarks, festivals and other attractions in the country. Noted musicians and technicians from India have worked with him on the project.
Ya Beladi-2
Smita Prabhakar, a Dubai-based entrepreneur, is another Indian expat who is launching another music single in tribute to the UAE.
Ya Beladi — 2, the second edition of her last year’s song, will hit the entertainment channels on December 2. In 2014, Prabhakar had released another song titled ‘Long Live the UAE’.
“As a long-term resident, I have seen the UAE evolve where I could develop my various businesses and I have also successfully ventured into the field of entertainment — this is due to Dubai and the UAE,” said Prabhakar, who uses her adopted name Maya VENUS in the music industry.
“This is a fitting tribute of the large expatriate community to the UAE’s leadership and its people and our way of showing appreciation to the leadership that has created a land of opportunity for all of us,” said Prabhakar, who released her first music single in the United States last year that has just entered the top 40 charts. Earlier, she had produced a music video to support autistic students to help them in their learning, titled, “Together we can”.
