CELEBRATING LIGHT: People lighting lamps to celebrate the spirit of Diwali. Photos by Umer Nangiana
By Umer Nangiana
Not for nothing is it called the festival of lights. Sourcing energy from this light, people from different cultural backgrounds converged for a memorable evening recently, dancing to both traditional and contemporary tunes, to celebrate Diwali.
The stage was set with a group dance performance called Dandiya, a traditional folk dance from Gujarat in India. The 15-minute long soulful performance was followed by a melodious Hindi duet by local talents Anjali and Feroze. They didn’t quite need a nudge as the packed house was already roaring.
It was the traditional celebration by FMM employees in their signature style where people from more than 20 cultural backgrounds once again came together to revel at their diversity.
“It is a festival of light and we are putting together all the various cultures within our business. Many come from Western Europe and Asia. It was a fantastic evening and it brings together the FMM family into an evening of enjoyment,” George Thomson, Operations Director at FMM, told Community.
FMM (Facility Management & Maintenance) is a subsidiary of Spanish company Ferrovial Services International, which undertakes maintenance works for Qatar Airways at Hamad International Airport (HIA).
As part of its corporate social responsibility, which puts its employees’ health and well-being high on the priority list, the company regularly organises recreational activities and social gatherings. The recent Diwali celebration, organised in the residential compound of Ezdan 38, was held in the same spirit.
“It is their evening. And the whole idea is that of participation. It reflects the culture and where the company comes from. There is a nice mix of culture in the management team as well,” says Thomson, adding that such events form the most exciting parts of a multicultural business environment.
“It is the first time that I have been introduced to such a large number of cultures. For me it is fantastic personally, and an absolute enjoyment,” says the Operations Director, who remained in the audience for the entire show that lasted more than two hours.
The company has more than 4,300 employees. They come from India, Nepal, Philippines, Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain, and other countries. Most of them — particularly the ones coming from India, Philippines, Nepal and Bangladesh — performed in the Diwali celebrations.
Members of FMM’s fraternity presented some powerful performances in a jam-packed community hall where they showcased traditional dances to the tunes of folk songs. The event also witnessed people winning awards as employees of the month in gold, silver and bronze categories.
This time a local musical band, Flamenco Souls, enthralled the audience with some sensational tunes on their guitars. One composition played on the Spanish guitar was the highlight of the evening’s musical performances.
FMM is a company that provides its employees with the “best available accommodation complemented with all the basic facilities and amenities.” More than 3,000 of them live in villas in Ezdan 38, which has been hired by FMM exclusively for its employees.
The female employees live in a separate compound.
Thomson said nearly 4,300 people on the project do anything from highly skilled engineering jobs to specialised cleaning at HIA. The team is very diverse, both culturally and in terms of skillsets. Most of the manpower comes from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines. The managerial and engineering staff mainly comes from Spain, and management is a mix of multiple cultures.
The company provides all its staff members with similar facilities, according to Thomson, be they from the support staff or the engineering department. Most companies would, for instance, provide health cards or insurances yet people have to go and get medicines for themselves. At FMM, they take care of the tiniest of things. They have their own clinics and if required, patients are sent to hospitals and everything is provided for.
During the summer, Ramon Botin, the Health, Safety and Environment Quality in charge at FMM, and his team ran an extensive campaign on heat stress in order to avoid heat stroke and other problems related with heat.
This summer, therefore, they had no major cases of heatstroke. “We have also trained supervisors in order to identify symptoms of heat stress. We provide backpacks with water for staffers who have to work outdoors. They have water with mineral salts to prevent dehydration,” Botin told Community.
Cultural activities have been a permanent feature at all celebrations at FMM since its establishment more than a year and half ago. Such activities give the employees a sense of importance, giving them a chance to show their creative side, says Thomson.
In Ezdan 38, the occupancy is more than 3,000. In Ezdan 29, they have occupied another 500 beds for their employees. The company also has a female accommodation in Al Thani properties nearby.
Currently the company is focused on HIA but is working hard to find more business opportunities in Qatar.
Thomson said the first and foremost challenge for the company is to always deliver something exceptional to Qatar Airways and HIA. For the future, it aims to expand beyond the airport however. He said the market in Qatar is very active and their company has been seeking opportunities in this market.
The Diwali evening provided a platform to all the FMM community’s hidden talent to showcase their music and dance skills. Most of them simply astonished their colleagues with some amazing performances. They came well-rehearsed and prepared with their skits, magic shows, solo songs and dances and groups performances based on popular Bollywood songs.
Participants from Nepal brought their own colours from Himalayas with young boys and girls dancing to the melodious tunes. And everybody else in the audience simply enjoyed with them. Music they say has no language after all.
