Had it Made in Dubai

October 19, 2022 by monica 1 Comment

DIWALI IN DUBAI Eating, shopping, dancing and powerful characters

Updated OCTOBER 2022

Diwali in Dubai

This year Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, falls on Monday the 24th of October and while Diwali is a Hindu festival, it’s now celebrated all over the world. Dubai is no exception! Diwali in Dubai is a big event!

CONTEMPORARY INDIAN STARTER FROM INDEGO BY VINEET

There are actually 5 days connected to the festival of Diwali starting from October 23rd through to October 27th. Each day holds a different significance with the 23rd being Dhanteras typically associated with buying gifts of gold, and the 24th is Choti Diwali or Little Diwali.

The Diwali story

The Diwali story’s got all the elements of a classic Good conquering Bad tale. Wicked stepmothers, multi headed demons, beautiful princesses, it’s all there.

Hindus all over the world celebrate the triumphant homecoming of Prince Ram, his wife Sita and their brother Laxsman from a gruelling 14 years spent in banishment in the jungle.

They were banished as part of an orchestrated request by Ram’s step mother Kaikeyi as a last wish from her husband King Dashrath. He ruled the ancient kingdom of Ayodhya.

Story has it that the night the weary travellers were returning home was one without any moonlight to show the way. Excited villagers decided to light small clay earthen ware lamps using oil and wicks to make it easier for them to navigate their way back.

So Diwali is really a mix of 2 words, Deep and Avali, DEEP meaning light and AVALI meaning row.

They also lit up the sky with firecrackers, hence the present day fireworks again to show the rightful rulers of the Kingdom of Ayodhya the way home.

Celebrating Diwali in Dubai

You’ll see many houses in Dubai lit up with tiny diyas in rows, often on the entrance or porch of a house re enacting what the villagers did. Houses are often spring cleaned during this period so that good luck and prosperity can visit in the form of Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth.

Families share gifts of money and new clothes as well organize huge Diwali feasts where authentic Indian varieties of burfi (sweet fudge made from ingredients such as milk, coconut, almonds, cashewnuts and sugar) and desserts like ras malai (a soft cheese based milk dumpling soaked in cream and pistachios) and ladoos play a starring role.

If you don’t want to give heavy Indian Diwali sweets this year then try making some gorgeous energy balls instead, then be creative about how you package them up!

Traditionally the best Diwali sweets shared with family and friends were always homemade.

ENERGY BALLS RECIPE

ENERGY BALLS DOINDUBAI MONICA KAPILA fennel and sesame seeds — LOOKS LIKE A LADOO BUT IT ISN’T

There are Diwali brunches, dinners and even fireworks displays in Dubai. We loved our Indian meal at Indego by Vineet at the Grosvenor House hotel.

Click the picture to see our experience of that on Instagram.

CLICK TO SEE OUR EXPERIENCE AT INDEGO BY VINEET

Emirates airlines announced it’s serving traditional Indian sweets to celebrate Diwali on Indian routes in all cabin classes!

Authentic Indian favorites like motichoor ladoos, mixed nut tribooj and angoori rabdri are being served in it’s cabins and lounges.

Dal kachoris and vegetable samosas for those of us with less of a sweet tooth. Some brilliant biscuits – Nan Khataai served in Emirates lounge in Cape Town too!

Diwali Shopping in Dubai

The Meena Bazaar area of Bur Dubai is a great place to visit during this festive time. Shop fronts are festooned with orange marigold flowers and there’s an excited buzz in the air.

People stock up on garlands, both real and fake, intricate rangoli pattern makers and stencils – see the one below. You can see which colour I’ve used the most for my Diwali rangoli designs!

DoinDubai Diwali in Dubai Monica Kapila Rangoli Stencil — RANGOLI STENCIL FOR MAKING DIWALI DESIGN

They buy vibrant rangoli powder colour for doorways, hand-painted clay diyas, shiny brass candle holders everything linked to traditional worship at home.

ENTRANCE TO A HOME IN DUBAI DECORATED FOR DIWALI

The fact that gold is around 1700 dollars a Troy ounce hasn’t deterred people buying jewellery at this auspicious time. Plenty of offers abound at major jewellery shops all over Dubai. Get down to Bur Dubai and experience Diwali in Dubai yourself.

And if you just feel like a simple or more elaborate INDIAN THALI MEAL then choose from our selection here.

Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila Andrha Thali — VEGETARIAN THALI MEAL IN DUBAI

Diwali Gift ideas

You can’t go wrong with gifting anyone a candle at Diwali time. We love all the candles from PURE CANDLES DUBAI AED 180

GIFT A SOY WAX DIWALI CANDLE FROM PURE CANDLES

If you don’t want to make your own energy balls then get down to LITTLE URTH BY NABZ AND G. Buy some from there! They’re as good as good as home made (I’ve tried them!), nicely packaged too.

AED 50 or so for a generous portion.

Monicas-Weekend-DoinDubai-Free-Goodie-Bag-vegan-energy-balls- — NUTRIENT DENSE NO NASTIES ENERGY BALLS BY NABZ AND G

Or buy some bite size Indian inspired brittle bars from VARAK EDIBLE LUXURY get some for yourself too! Better than burfi and biscuits! Click the link and go to the Brittles page. 8 bites for just AED 27 with my discount code!

MONICA10 code for varak dubai brittle bars

Tell me about any cool Diwali gifts you’re giving or receiving this year. Please also SHARE THIS POST with your friends and to all my loyal DoinDubai readers:

Warmest wishes for a prosperous and peaceful Diwali in Dubai and all over the world.

Never mind the markets and British politics for now.

NOTE JUST IN..

The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah will celebrate Diwali with a performance by the world’s largest dancing fountain, The Palm Fountain.

From 14 to 28 October from 6pm to 10pm, every 3rd performance will be a popular Hindi song! So visitors can dress up and head to the nearby eateries for delicious deals as they enjoy the show.

Also Diwali Fireworks at Global Village on the 28th October 2022 in the evening!

DIWALI FIREWORKS OCT 2022 AT GLOBAL VILLAGE

A STAY AT THE TAJ PALACE NEW DELHI

February 2, 2020 by monica Leave a Comment

SHOPPING IN MEENA BAZAAR DUBAI

Living

SHOPPING IN MEENA BAZAAR DUBAI

MEENA BAZAAR DUBAI

Forget Dubai’s mega malls for a day and explore the small streets and characterful alley ways of Meena Bazaar. No shopping online here and this high street certainly isn’t dead.

What to expect

Expect a variety of small, independent shops, stalls and shacks selling everything from textiles, ready made garments, jewellery, fashion accessories and ethnic groceries. If you love crafts of any kind at all, you’re in for a treat.

How to do Meena Bazaar

Get a taxi to drop you off or park at one of the carparks in the area. The one near Puranmals is good. You can’t drive from street to street easily.

Wear a good pair of walking shoes as some of the pavements are narrow and uneven.

Remember there is a split shift operating so go from 10am to 1pm or from 4pm to about 8pm.

Avoid or resolutely ignore all the touts that will approach you to buy fake designer goods.

Ideally go with someone who knows the area a bit and ideally speaks a bit of Hindi but don’t worry if you go alone. Google maps works well.

If you want a garment copied then take it with you, buy your fabric first and some trimmings and then go to your tailor. But if you can ask your tailor how much fabric you need.

Get jewellery fixed and polished but I wouldn’t leave very expensive real jewellery here to pick up at a later date, get it done on the day if you can.

You can also get shoes and belts fixed at little cobbler shacks in Meena Bazaar so take those broken sandals.

You may get pidgeon poop on you, we did once! So take an umbrella just in case or even a clean top and an extra plastic bag if you need to change!

Renew, repair and customise very affordably and boost your creativity at the same time

Eating in Meena Bazaar

I would stick to the vegetarian options and recommend Puranmals, Rangoli and Kulfilicious. See video below

Meet me in Meena Bazaar

Get a feel of the vibe of this place.

Shops we visited in Meena Bazaar

THE JEWELLERY PLACE

Royal Crown Jewellery near New Sindhi Ceremonial Hall

THE ZIP AND EYELET PLACE

Fouress Trading near Rinco Matching Centre

GOOD TEXTILES FOR DRESSMAKING

Ravani previously called Ratti off Al Fahidi street

Location

where is Meena Bazaar

Near Bur Juman

This review was written completely independently of any stockists or restaurants mentioned.

Monica Kapila

Owner and Founder of Doindubai

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February 22, 2014 by monica 68 Comments

DUBAI TAILORS – GET THE BLACK BOOK LIST

LIVING:

Dubai Tailors – DoinDubai’s TOP TIPS to avoid tailoring disasters in Dubai.

Be brave and dip your toes into the world of “Had it Made in Dubai” You live in a place where well established communities (mainly Indian and Pakistani as well as Emiratis) still regularly have clothes stitched and tailored for everyday and occasion wear for themselves and their children. Remember it will cost you a fraction of what you’d pay in any western country and you have access to a range of fabulous fabrics and a plethora of tailors on your doorstep. But do be sensible and Get it Right. Follow DoinDubai’s Top Tips:

Firstly have something that fits you well copied exactly, don’t leave anything to the imagination of the tailor, he (usually) will NOT be able to interpret what you mean, at least not at first, so play safe and have something copied.
Choose a fabric that matches the one your original garment is made from as closely as possible. So if you have a jersey dress, do NOT copy it in a silk fabric, it won’t drape and fit in the same way at all.
Avoid using any stretchy fabrics at all to begin with, there isn’t that much choice and some tailors refuse to work with it, so stick to cottons or any of the silks, crepe, tusser, butter, raw silk, satins etc. Butter silk is very cheap (about Dhs 5 per metre) comes in a range of colours and is often used for lining but great if you want to try something new, then graduate to the expensive crepe silks that can be Dhs 50 to Dhs 60 and upwards a metre. Don’t forget that Indian sarees are a great source of fabric and can be quite reasonable given you get 6 yards of material, you can split one between you and a friend.
Take your original garment to the tailor first and ask how much fabric you need, try and avoid things that have lining and lots of pleats or “pin tucks” till you’re confident of the skill of your tailor. Often the person you speak to takes your “order” and he may do the cutting, but then the stitching is farmed out to any one of an army of tailors “in the back”. This especially happens in larger establishments that have more than one branch.
Do get a written receipt with how much your stitching will cost and when it’s due to be ready, then take a mobile number of the tailor and call at least a day before collection to ensure your garment is ready, otherwise you could have a wasted trip.
Try and avoid adding trimmings to your garment (elaborate buttons, lace, piping edging, sequins etc) till it’s ready and you’re happy with it, it’s easy enough to add these bits later but a waste of money if you aren’t happy with the original. But do buy little bits of trimmings you think are “you” when in Bur Dubai or Satwa and keep handy for when you need them. Again all these trimmings are available by the metre and cost a fraction of what they would at say VV Rouleaux off Marylebone Street in Central London or John Lewis.
When you’re used to your tailor and he knows your “fit” you may want to ask him to leave a little “margin” room for growth, even for us adults to make your creation last longer. And be imaginative, buy fabric to make cushion covers, table cloths and napkins as well as items of clothing ! I recently had my Dad’s jackets relined as he wouldn’t part with them, a great success and again so well priced at around Dhs 150 including the lining.

If you’d like DoinDubai’s “Little Black Book” (read list) of tailors, trimmings places and fabric sources then

MAKE SURE YOU’RE A SUBSCRIBER to DoinDubai Newsletter – It’s FREE

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The pdf with the Tailors List will be in your final welcome email but you do need to confirm your subscription so do look in your email after completing the form that appears on clicking the button.

The list is very useful for anyone who loves crafting projects as well although I haven’t managed to find anyone who can sew up my evening “bag frame” from John Lewis yet! Possibly the way I’m explaining it !

BIG THANK YOU from Monica

September 19, 2011 by monica 9 Comments

GOLD DIPPING JEWELLERY

Gold prices too high and you still want something shiny? Take advantage of being in Dubai and just dip it ! The spot price of silver per troy ounce (around 31 grams) is only US dollars 40.00, compared to the gold price currently US dollars 1791 per troy ounce.

You could take any silver piece of jewellery or buy something new such a chain or simple bracelet from a silver shop in Meena Bazaar. House of Silver is a very well established and reputable shop, select your item, have it weighed, pay the going silver rate and then take it round the corner to Royal Crown Jewellery who’ll give you an idea of the cost of dipping your item or really gold plating it for you. Gold dipping is quite common in Dubai. If they’re not busy, they can do a same day service (sometimes takes only an hour or two, that you can spend having a snack at Rangoli Café on Cosmos Lane or simply browse around the fabric and accessory shops in Meena Bazaar)

And voila you have a new gold bauble, albeit dipped. In the past I have done this with silver ear rings, and a bracelet, the shine tends to wear off after a while but the dull mat gold finish look is fine and very affordable! It’s a great idea for making a really unique present for someone too and very practical if you’re travelling and don’t feel comfortable wearing real jewellery. Leave it to Royal Crown Jewellery to tell you whether your item is suitable for gold dipping or not and do take any jewellery that needs repairing and repolishing, all this costs a fraction of what it would in a Western European country. Take advantage of the long awaited cooler weather coming our way soon and get out and about in Meena Bazaar. Gold Dipping Jewellery is fun and easy, a good idea to do in Dubai.

Additional Information:

House of Silver for silver jewellery and gift articles, Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai, Tel 04 359 0073

Royal Crown Jewellery

Near Raymond Showroom, in Meena Bazaar, Bur Dubai (straight on from House of Silver and turn left at Lobo tailors at the end of the road)

To get to Bur Dubai,

Turn right at the Dolphin Hotel on Khalid Bin Waleed Road (past the Bur Juman Mall) and park in one of the parking areas (Dhs 10.00 per hour)

Do wear sensible shoes and remember nothing is open till 10 am and there is a split shift system operating in this area, so all shops are shut between 1.30 and 4.30pm. AVOID ALL TOUTS tempting you to look at handbags, perfumes etc, just blank them and continue walking. Bur Dubai like most of Dubai is very safe but do dress sensibly.

Don’t forget to mention you heard about them from Monica at www.doindubai.com

Do leave me a comment on whether this post has inspired you to try some gold dipping and let me know how you got on, and if you haven’t already done so leave your email address in the box in the home page and click to subscribe so you don’t miss out on more posts connected to shopping in Meena Bazaar including a trip down Temple Lane.