Some ties become more profound and more substantial with time.
I had the opportunity to stay in the Sultanate of Oman for 6 six years in the early nineties, when Rajiv and I being medical doctors, worked in the Ministry of Health, Oman. We developed an appreciation for the robust healthcare system that this country boasted of.
During this time, Dubai would be at the top of our list whenever we had a holiday or wanted to go for a vacation with our kids. The Dubai Shopping Festival had just started then, and whenever we wanted to shop, the only place we could think of was Dubai, which was just a two-hour drive from where we lived. Whenever we went to Dubai, it was all glitterati! The tall skyscrapers with beautiful glazing facades, the lovely gardens, the vast and well-managed roads with much less traffic than today, and most importantly, the multicultural and diverse environment we witnessed everywhere made us feel at home in Dubai.
One iconic feature of Dubai that I must mention is the Gold Souk. It is an absolute treat for the eyes. With shops lined with gold ornaments in a variety of designs, it is a treat for even those who do not intend to buy. It is surely a tourist destination.
Over the years, I have been visiting Dubai and the kind of dynamism and growth that the city shows and, therefore, the people it attracts, is conducive to the progressive mindset. Thanks to the leadership of UAE, specifically of Dubai, who have brought such impressive transformation, it is truly commendable. The discipline that thrives in the city is also worthy of being imbibed in our country. Though there are so many rich countries in the world, for a leader to be benevolent and carry out things for the betterment of the citizens and also think of the well-being of the expatriates who live there and call Dubai their home is an aspect that I truly commend.
For all these reasons, Dubai is my favourite city in the world and I have always wanted to establish a campus of Symbiosis International University in Dubai for a very long time. However, because of our expansion plans in India, the plans were put on hold. Now that Symbiosis is 50 years old, I made up my mind that we must establish the first international campus of Symbiosis in Dubai.
Dubai is an educational hub that attracts a large number of academia from across the world. It has many international universities and some top-ranking universities have established their campuses in Dubai. What Dubai has created is amazing. There is an area called Dubai Knowledge Park, which provides well-designed and aesthetically pleasing spaces for establishing University Campuses. The Dubai Knowledge Park is a hub of academia, students and top-ranking universities. When this became saturated, Dubai created a larger area called the Dubai International Academic City, which gave large pieces of land on long leases to top-ranking universities. It benefits not only the students from countries from all over the world but also the local population. When no one thought of creating such a diverse educational community Dubai did!
When I talk about education in Dubai, I feel it’s imperative to mention that this phenomenal growth in education in Dubai could not have been possible without the commitment of the Ministry of Education, CAA, and KHDA, who are encouraging and responsive. They have been most accommodating to the queries that we have raised during the establishment of our campus. Work is never impacted due to hierarchy, nor is there any inhibition when we meet Govt leaders. Whether it was H. E. Dr Baniyas the Commissioner of CAA or H. E. Ms Aisha Miran, DG of KHDA, who are so unassuming, friendly, humble and encouraging.
Symbiosis has established its first international campus in the Dubai Knowledge Park, and very soon, we will be moving to the Dubai International Academic City. I am so happy that we will be able to create a diverse population of not just students but also academia and professional staff. It will genuinely carry Symbiosis’s vision, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ believing that the World is One Family. The Symbiosis International Campus in Dubai will start with some of the highly ranked programs of Symbiosis. Thanks to our 1000+ alumni working in the UAE, a majority of them in Dubai who vouch for solid support from the industries they work for not only for internships and placements but also by sharing their industry experiences in the Symbiosis classrooms. Symbiosis’ intense focus on research will not just bring in knowledge dissemination but also knowledge creation in the years to come.
I am confident that Symbiosis International University’s Dubai Campus will be a landmark and will uphold the vision of Dubai becoming a knowledge economy!