The Legend Never Dies

The world, today is a different place. An era without IM Pei, the internationally recognized and one of the most celebrated architect of our times has begun. He died on Thursday May 16th at the age of 102.

Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Canton (now Guangzhou) on April 26, 1917 to Tsuyee Pei, one of China’s leading bankers and moved to Hong Kong when he was an infant. He recalled that as child of 9, he was fascinated by the construction and knew he wanted to build. At the age of 17, Pei moved to the US of America and in 1940, he was awarded a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from MIT.

Tributes have been pouring in from all over the world, remembering him for a lifetime of designing iconic structures worldwide. In his career stretching more than 70 years, he have amassed an impressive portfolio and the iconic glass pyramid of the louvre in Paris is the poster boy of his legacy.

My favorite masterpiece of this great Master is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar which was completed in 2008. At the ripe age of 91, he came back from his retirement and delved in to history of Islamic Architecture to create one of his most famous cultural landmarks.

A masterpiece positioned on a man-made island and covering a vast area of 45,000 m2. We have been fortunate to spend hours in this vastness and experience the simplicity in the grandeur of the Museum of Islamic Arts. A realization of the magic that simple forms could create when stacked together in the right proportion. The interior spaces and the landscape compliments the Architecture to leave behind his legacy that will continue to inspire generations.

There are plenty of photos of the museum available throughout the internet, I leave a few of my own as well. 

The Fish, the Scorpion, and Our Everyday Choices

The prompt by Poets and Storytellers for this week is “Why Bother?”

And indeed, with everything happening around us, it is tempting to ask—why do we even bother? What difference can an individual like me, you, or anyone else really make to this world?

This question took me back to an old reflection of mine, and I thought I would share it here in response to this week’s prompt. [ Friday Writings #223: Why Bother?] 

Last weekend, we were at the beach. It was rather empty. Perhaps most people chose to stay home during the holy month of fasting, or simply felt it was too harsh an afternoon to step out.

While our daughter was being gently introduced to the majestic sea—watchful, hesitant, and not entirely amused by its vastness—I decided to take a solitary walk along the shore.

As I walked, I noticed a dead fish lying on the sand. And suddenly, I was reminded of two stories that have stayed with me over the years—the fish and the scorpion. Both, in their own way, have shaped how I look at life.

The Fish Story

A young boy was walking along the beach when he noticed something unsettling. With every crashing wave, hundreds of small fish were being thrown onto the sand—left there, gasping, with little chance of survival.

A little further ahead, he saw a man. Calmly, almost rhythmically, the man would bend down, pick up a hand full of those fishes, and toss back into the sea.

Puzzled, the boy walked up to him and asked,

“Sir, there are hundreds of fish being washed ashore. You’re saving only a few. Most of them will die anyway. What difference does it make?”

The man didn’t answer immediately. He picked up another fish, held it for a moment, and threw it back into the water.

Then he looked at the boy and said,

“It made a difference to this one. It is alive.”

And something about that stayed with the boy-made a big difference.

The Scorpion

The second story is about a scorpion who lived by a pond.

One day, heavy rains caused the water to overflow, flooding the surrounding land. The animals needed to get across to higher ground. The scorpion, unable to swim, approached a frog.

“Please carry me across,” it said.
“I can’t,” replied the frog. “You’ll sting me.”
“If I sting you, I will drown too,” the scorpion reasoned.

Reassured, the frog agreed.
Midway across, the scorpion stung the frog.
As the poison spread and they both began to sink, the frog asked,

“Why did you do this? Now we will both die.”
The scorpion replied,
“What can I do, my friend… it is my nature.”

Two simple stories. Two very different reflections.

One reminds us that even the smallest act can matter—perhaps not to the world, but deeply to someone.
The other reminds us that not everyone we help will act against their nature.

So why bother?

Because the choice to act is ours.
Because even if it changes just one moment, one outcome, one life—it matters.
And because, in the end, what defines us is not how the world responds, but how we choose to show up.

But yes—choose your partners with care, my friends.

A Modern Day Gypsy

Last few weeks have been very hectic for me. Tough decisions are always tough to take. It was not at all easy to decide to leave Dubai and go. The stay in Dubai was short but sweet. We had some of the best moments in our life while living in Dubai. But as it turns out I am only a modern day Nomad ……. a gypsy of the 21st century. I have tried putting up a home in so many times in so many cities in the past decade but could never stay long enough to grow my roots and that is the reason why I am able to relocate myself to a new place with relative ease. As they say that a rolling stone gather no moss… I am on the roll once again! I do not have any regrets in leaving that place, but I am a bit sad that I had to leave in such a short notice.

The boom of the past few years had attracted people from all walks of life and from around the world. There had been a mad rush in the past years to reach there to make a living and build the city. When I landed there, it was as if a grand party was in progress. The place was humming with all kind of activities. The streets packed with cars, the malls with shoppers and the restaurants with tourists. The city which glitters like a diamond every night is full of friendly people a bit preoccupied and busy with their own life though. But as it turned out, we were a bit late in reaching there. When we moved here from Kuwait, someone told me that the party was already over and the closing ceremony was in progress, and it turned out to be very true. But I believe that this is only a temporary phase for Dubai and it will soon get back to its former self and a new set of people will rush back to this city which never stops changing its skyline.

When I was offered this option of getting transferred to Doha, Qatar by our company, I took the hard decision to leave and move for the moment. The other option was to hold on to the fort and travel up and down to Abu Dhabi everyday and that was even more difficult for my set of priorities! So I had to come to this new country, new city and start fresh once again!

I have heard a lot about this place and everyone has their own opinion and view point. When I posted that “I am liking this place” in my FB, I received a barrage of reaction from my friends… so today being the day off, I took a “get to know the city” drive in the afternoon and clicked a few snaps. I am glad to see the West Bay skyline and the way it is developing further. I can now rest assured that I have arrived to witness another megacity in the making.