Dubai: I still remember the newsroom turning into a sea of orange when the Gulf News turned 30…and suddenly more than a decade has actually gone by us. The balloons, complimentary T-shirts ushered in a festive atmosphere as the newspaper reached a milestone in time.
Well, 42 may not be exactly a landmark like the way a 25 or 50 years of existence is, but reminds us that we are another year older in the business. The middle age has just begun…and it’s time to be more mature and discerning.
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When I landed up in Dubai in late 2003, I had possibly never given myself a decade and-a-half in the same company in the Gulf. I had told my dad, whom I unfortunately lost within six months of coming here, that I would do ‘one visa term’ (three years those days) and be back.
It was only later I found out that I was not alone in this – for several of my colleagues had promised their folks the same – only to conveniently break it later. Working with the Gulf News brand was, and still is, a ticket to respectability in the bank or your daughter’s school – not to speak of the respect one commanded among the local ‘contacts.’
The nature of my job in the Sports desk meant an affair with late nights – which has now become my second nature. The UAE being a major sporting hub in the Middle East, we would define the year with major local sporting events – from tennis to golf to the biggest of them all – Dubai World Cup horseracing.
Then there were the biggies – the football and cricket World Cups, Summer Olympics – which needed serious planning, execution and of course keeping tab of what the rivals did. As we moved on, we have metamorphosed to a truly digital newsroom over the last few years – and have realised how relentless and demanding this business can be.
We are, of course, ready for the challenge!
