From stranded tourists and grounded business travellers to families sheltering in hotel basements, people from West Bengal say their ties to home have been strained by cancelled flights and “48-hour silences” as the conflict in West Asia intensifies.
But in hubs like Dubai, life stays resiliently ‘normal’ – the metro is running, and Iftar camps are open. But beneath this calm, the tension is real. It is marked by the roar of interceptors, the blare of sirens, and the quiet rustle of families packing ‘go-bags’ in their living rooms.
Alifiya Sehrawala, originally from Kolkata, who now lives in Dubai’s Al Nahda 2 area, told The Indian Express on Sunday, “We stayed up almost all night (intervening night of Saturday and Sunday) because of the suddenness of the events and the alerts we were getting from the government on our phones.”
However, Sehrawala added, “We are safe, and life is on as usual. People are going to mosques too, but schools have shifted to an online mode for three days.”
When the first fire incident was reported at Dubai’s Fairmont Hotel, Sehrawala was out for an iftar party. “We wrapped up early and headed home to be with my daughter.”
Sehrawala and her family have a go-bag ready. “Some high-rises lodged their tenants in the basements and lobby areas for the night. If need be, we can take the go-bag and leave,” she said.
Micky Hazra, a Kolkata resident who now lives at Al Mankhool, a neighborhood in Bur Dubai, said, “People are hoarding groceries because they are scared. Dry stocks, such as bread and fruit, are mostly out of stock across major supermarkets due to panic buying.”
Hazra claimed he heard jets flying several times on Sunday morning and also saw missiles or drones being intercepted Saturday night. “We are mostly staying home and avoiding going out as much as possible,” Hazra said. He further said that everything seems to be under control, but admitted the situation is tense.
Bengali actress, son stranded
Actress Subhashree Ganguly and her son, Yuvaan, are also stranded in Dubai. They flew to the UAE on Saturday morning; however, as soon as the mother-son duo landed, there was news of Iranian drone and missile attacks on Dubai. Speaking about this, Ganguly’s husband, filmmaker Raj Chakrabarty, said, “Thankfully, they are safe and are staying at a relative’s house. Yuvaan had been wanting to go for the desert safari for a while, so Subhashree decided to take him for a week-long trip. They were scheduled to return on March 5, but will return once the situation has improved.”
A resident of Kolkata working in Dubai on condition of anonymity said, “I had a scheduled travel plan. On Saturday, I was working when the news about the attacks spread. I heard a rumbling sound and came out of the office, and gradually got information that flights had been cancelled. Now I am stuck here. Although life here is moving smoothly and there is no disruption in services, we are still hearing rumbling noises. We are eagerly awaiting the resumption of flight operations.”
Satyaki Guha, 54, a senior design engineer based in Chicago, originally from Raiganj, West Bengal, was traveling from Dubai back to Chicago on February 28 after a business trip. His flight was taxiing to the runway when the pilot announced that the US and Israel had launched airstrikes on Iran. Because the flight path to Chicago passes over Iraq, Iran, and Turkey – all of which had closed their airspace – the flight was canceled. Guha eventually moved to a room at the JW Marriott Hotel. He said that he could hear “loud blasts” near the hotel and was advised to seek shelter in the basement during potential airstrikes.
He is currently staying on a lower floor of his hotel for safety and has rebooked a flight for March 6, hoping the airspace reopens.
A resident of Barasat, who lives in Sharjah and occasionally travels to Dubai for work, also spoke to The Indian Express on condition of anonymity and said life is running normally, but admitted there is a slight sense of tension. “Initially, there was panic when the Burj Khalifa was evacuated, but life is running normally. In fact, the camps set up for iftar during Ramadan are also functional.”
He added, “On Saturday, I spoke to a few acquaintances who live in Dubai. They informed that they heard sirens blaring and some felt the buildings shaking, but now, everything seems to be normal.”
He further said they have been getting advisories from the government authorities against the spread of false information and on the dos and don’ts. “My previous experience during the COVID-19 pandemic tells me that the authorities here are adept at handling situations in such a manner that normal life is not hampered. There are Indian associations too in each Emirate, and they too extend all possible help,” he added.
‘Silence’ in Tehran
Meanwhile, Yaar Banu Biwi, 70, a resident of Sakchura Bagundi village in Basirhat, North 24-Parganas, has not managed to speak with her son, Amir Hossain Gazi, an Indian teacher living in Tehran, Iran, since last Friday.
There has been a “48-hour silence” since hostilities erupted. Gazi, who has lived in Tehran for eight years with his wife and three children, last spoke to his mother on Friday. He told his mother that he was living in “great anxiety”.