06 July, 2006

The Ultimate Cure

Azad Bhai is no Dallas Austin. Infact he would rarely associate himself with a rapper whose hit singles include ‘Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg’ and ‘Silly Ho’.

Possibly that is why, somewhere during his 35 year old struggle in the UAE, he decided to become a 'doctor'. The ‘doctor’ or the ‘Vaidyan’ as per a South Asian terminology, interestingly never carries a stethoscope. He looks pretty innocuous, until someone flashes a couple of 10 Dhs notes and that is when Azad Bhai will reveal his armoury, a full array of illicit liquor bottles concealed under his worn-out shirt. There are thousands of ‘doctors’ like Azad Bhai in UAE who make a living out of selling illicit liquor. And there is never a dearth of ‘patients’ either whose monthly salary will not be enough to pay a days bill in one of Dubai’s exclusive bars.

Years and years of eluding the Dubai Police and late night handling of bottle deliveries have taken a toll on Azad Bhai and now retirement seems imminent. But he is all too well aware that there are more than enough promising ‘doctors’ out there to carry forward his legacy. Besides for a man like him, an official pardon doesn't seem too likely either.

3 comments:

B.D. said...

Who is the Azad Bhai to whom you refer? Any link to an article or do you present us here with an original piece of journalism? :)

I would like to add one more dimension to the story from what I've heard from a close source. Some of these "doctors" face harrassment by larger, one might say, "medical establishments" with ties to influential wasta. These "medical establishments" threaten, beat up and otherwise do what they can to put the "doctors" with pivate practices out of business.

It makes you feel sorry for the small time practitioners though they knowingly take part in an illegal practice. They do in fact provide a service that only people with more money can obtain legally.

Anonymous said...

Dallas Austin is more considered a "Producer" than a "Rapper", but a highly influential one in Rap/RnB community. If he was a Jamaican, he might have Rasta Wasta.

Woke said...

I am sure Gulf News hasnt interviewed him yet. Just a personal acquaintance fyi.

Dont worry, my next post will have a link to my top 20 musical compositions and another to pictures of a private party that I attended 15 years back with some incredibly intelligent and entertaining captions.
;)

And yes 'the medical establishments' as you refer to seem to know a few people in high places. Otherwise they wouldnt have the guts to deliver truckloads of these bottles every night to the 'doctors'.

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