Jaisen George runs a cultural centre here affiliated with the Trinity
College of London that goes beyond the pale of teaching art and craft.
But it is his historical research on Wakrah and its promising future that
makes for ‘sit-up-and-take-notice’ reading, writes Umer Nangiana
In the rush of modern day life, one hardly finds time to contemplate one’s surroundings, leave alone ponder over their history. How many of us would bother to take out time to explore the history of the area we live in or make an effort to discern the origins of certain monuments we come across every day?
Even Internet-assisted research requires time and a certain level of concentration as one thing leads to another and, often, you get distracted. However, if one is curious and motivated enough, results can be rewarding.
Jaisen George, an Indian expatriate, is one such soul. Buildings and old settlements arouse his curiosity — about their origins and significance. He wants to know why they are there and how long.
Moving into a new area, he is always keen to explore its past and present — the whole geography with people at the centre. It helps him extrapolate his future.
He currently lives in Wakrah municipality, having moved from Dubai a few years ago. He has founded a cultural centre that is affiliated with the Trinity College of London, UK.
George has carried out an Internet-assisted research on Wakrah and can now claim that he knows all about the city, its past and present, and hopefully, even a prosperous future.
It was this once dark and deserted souq (market) in Wakrah and the nearby settlement of small traditional houses that had made him pull outs all stops.
“I used to come here for walks, and my running routine. It was a completely deserted place with nothing happening. There was also this form of an old city which seemed like it had been evacuated or abandoned and everybody had moved to newer populated areas,” George tells Community at the newly restored Wakrah Souq which is now bustling with visitors.
The souq has been there for hundreds of years and seen vicissitudes in the lives of people living around it. The authorities have done a good job by restoring the place to pretty much its original form. One would walk through bricked lanes in between brick houses; taking one back in time when this place used to be a key trading town in the region.
“I thought there is more to it than meets the eye. This was completely a dark area and it was intriguing for me,” George points out.
He began to find answers to questions that intrigued him: what was this place, why was it abandoned, where did the village next to it come from, what was the significance of the pearl roundabout in Wakrah and why were there so many mosques in this area? And he came up with interesting facts that connected all the dots.
“This used to be a fishing town. And as per their records, the British were the first ones who made an official survey of this place. In 1916, the survey indicated that there were more than 300 ships docked here and the major export other than fish from here was pearls,” George says affirmatively.
That was the biggest export. There were a lot of people coming from other areas in regions such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, looking for pearls. The-then Ottoman rulers had put in place an administrative officer here, who was called the Mudeer.
The British started arriving in the 1920s, looking for oil, but found themselves among pearls. There was a Wakrah Fort here belonging to Al Khater family. It was a bastion akin to the closest bastion there was in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain.
Next to it, on the beachside, was a town. There would have been ships coming in from India, trading spices and other goods. Inhabited by traders and merchants, it was a thriving town.
At one time, there was a war between two families in 1876 and the town had been completely blotted out. The houses were demolished and the inhabitants deported. But after some time, they came back.
The presence of mosques explains the importance the inhabitants of this area have historically given to their Islamic roots. All of that from the past is still present in some form. The souq has been restored, the nearby village is still there with people living in it and even today, there are mosques in every kilometre radius in the town of Wakrah.
Even the old fort is there; it has been restored and would soon be open to the public, displaying arteacts and remnants from history, revealing more about this area and the region.
“I know there are families out here in this locality whose generations go back centuries. I am anxiously waiting for the museum to open and hope to see artefacts hundreds of years old that reflect a rich heritage,” George says with a hint of excitement.
As part of his study, he has also read the population growth trends in Wakrah and it was astonishing for him to note a 78 percent increase from 2004 to 2014 in the local population. “In 1984, there were less than 20,000 people. In the census of 2004, it was close to about 30,000. From 2004-2014, there has been a surge from 30,000 to 141,000,” George points out.
Today, Wakrah has the second biggest hospital in the country besides a chain of residential avenues and more than 15 major schools. The on-going and planned projects for Wakrah include a Wakrah Gateway that will house major government offices, a Festival Bay which is marina, lots of art and culture centres, maritime museum, and a chain of parks and Wakrah College.
“Wakrah would be a vibrant city, a major waterfront, where people would come and want to visit. There is immense potential in this area for a great future and it would welcome a lot of families in this wonderful environment,” enthuses George.
When he first arrived in Wakrah, it was still developing yet there were people moving into the area. “From the level of development I saw here, I knew that this place had a great future. So I thought of setting up an art centre here to promote the creative side which in our busy lifestyle we often ignore,” says George.
Music Lounge, his art centre, is located on the main Wakrah road and imparts training in musical instruments such as guitar, violin, piano, drums etc. Besides art and craft, yoga as a healthy form of living, and Indian classical and cinematic dance make up the salient features.
The growing number of students currently stands at 570.
“Our centre is a place where we want people to come and relax, indulge in music and learn it, but our approach to teaching music is not just theory and practical and going through the exams. We want them to develop as artistes with a 360 degree developed personality which attracts people,” says George, who is the director of the centre.
During his research on Wakrah, he did not find any history on art or music as, he says, his research was limited. But he finds an artistic taste displayed in how the aesthetics were conceived.
“In Wakrah, if this is what was there a hundred years ago, I think they had spent so much time on planning a proper city with a palace close by and a well-to-do settlement. So there is a level of sophistication in it,” says George.
“Also, if they had to sell pearls, it also contributed to a lot of artwork. I can imagine that there would have been a lot of artistes coming from India or Europe, looking for these pearls,” he adds.
Born and brought up in Dubai, he says, he has been into music since childhood as he used to play with his brothers who were all musicians, too.
George feels being creative adds value to one’s life and job which is why he has always remained attached to music and art even through his busy practical life. Today, he is offering all courses at his centre at base price so that everyone can avail the chance to be creative.
DISTINCTIVE: A backyard in Al Wakrah Souq restored to old glory; below, eateries on the seafront.
