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Shaukat Ali Rana has lived in the UAE since 1968, when it was an armistice country.
Shaukat Ali Rana, a Pakistani expatriate who was only eight years old, witnessed the birth of a new country—the UAE.
Rana, 61, arrived in Trusil State at the time in 1968. Two years ago, his father got his first job at the Middle East Bank in England and then came here. His salary was only 450 dirhams, but in those days, this figure could live comfortably.
“I’m still too young to understand what the transition means, but I clearly remember that as long as we mention travel a little bit, we will be very excited,” Rana said. “In 1968, my mother and us (seven brothers and sisters) took a train from Lahore to Karachi, then took a PIA from Karachi to Dubai and landed in the UAE.”
Rana and his family live in the Cola Colony in Calama, and the rent for their three-bedroom villa is 2,000 dirhams per year.
“(It) is named after a Coca-Cola factory in the area. This colony has only villas,” he said, showing a 1970 lease contract that he carefully laminated and kept in a file.
He said: “Kalama has only a small group of villas, and there is only a piece of sand around it. My brothers and sisters and I will go there to play at night.” “We either sleep in the yard or on the terrace, because at that time it was air-conditioned. It’s not easy to buy. We will walk to our school, the Pakistan Academy, which is still in Oud Metha.”
UAE’s first independence day
There was a time in the history of the UAE that a passport was required to travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
At that time, the UAE was still officially establishing its national status.
Looking back at this momentous moment, Rana said that the UAE’s Independence Day celebration was held on December 2, 1971 on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi.
“I was only 11 years old, but my father gave me his amateur camera because he knew I liked it very much and asked me to take photos of the celebration with me today. He helped me find my talent And gave me wings to fly, realizing my dream of pursuing photography as a career,” Lana said Khaliji Times, Show the photos he took when he was a child.
Rana and his family traveled to Abu Dhabi in his father’s Volkswagen. To this day, he still keeps the border pass as a souvenir.
“This is the Shoeb border in Abu Dhabi,” he said, showing his pass. “After crossing the border area, we can only see sand, my father doesn’t know the road. So, we waited for a taxi to come, and then we followed him to take us to Abu Dhabi on the road…that’s One day I remember that the whole country was lit up. We saw the fountain lit up; the celebration was large-scale.”
In 1976, Rana started her own business-a photo studio called Shaukat Photo Studio. He later married his distant relative, a Kuwaiti, and settled in Dubai.
“In 1985, I built our house in Mildiv. At that time, there were only two villas in this area. There was only barren land around. I received a special grant in the name of my wife because she is a Kuwaiti, so we are here. We got this land and we built our house. Since then, we have been living here,” he said, adding that he is one of the oldest residents in the area.
Golden Jubilee Bell
As the UAE prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Rana is planning a different celebration for himself and his family.
The 60-year-old photographer started his career and now owns a mature family business in the same line. He has taken out his large number of old photo albums and precious antique vintage cameras. He intends to share with his friends and family the fond memories of living in Dubai and experiencing that period.
“I have witnessed this country booming from a bunker to one of the world’s leading countries. When I heard that the UAE will celebrate its 50th anniversary of its independence this year, I knew it was time for me to settle the old memories and show them to the world. A journey to this incredible country,” Rana said.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Rana spent time digging out his oldest albums and cameras. Since 1968, he has used and kept approximately 25 or more antique vintage cameras.
when Khaliji Times Visited him in his villa, and his collection of cameras and photo albums were scattered on two coffee tables in the living room event His villa.
Rana showed off his collection of cameras of various shapes and sizes, as well as piles of plastic film in a compact box. He said: “I learned photography from my father when I was very young, because it belongs to my father. Hobbies, recording and taking pictures. I took photography as a profession, and later became a distributor of photo frames, photographic materials, canvases, mirrors and art materials, which took it to a new level.”
Met a few celebrities
Because of his profession, Rana said he attended major events and celebrity gatherings in different fields such as sports, film and politics.
Celebrities that Shaukat has met include the late Sheikh Rashid bin Said Al Maktoum, former ruler of Dubai; Imran Khan, a former cricketer and current Prime Minister of Pakistan; and many treasures Lywood actors include Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Sanjeek Kapoor and Shatrugan Sinha.
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“I have traveled the world, but the ease, comfort, flexibility, hospitality, safety and security I experienced in the UAE is unparalleled. I am proud to call it my home and hope that my future generations will continue to do the same. “He said.
Saman Hazik
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