My father shuffles. It pains - and irritates - me to watch him. But that's how he walks these days.
He is 80 years old, more fit than my mother and my in-laws, but still not the lithe vibrant man he once was.
When I ask my dad if he has any of the aches and pains that all my aunts and uncles complain about, he thinks for a breathless moment and quietly says, "No." I sigh and pray that I have inherited his genes.
His big thing is access to toilets. That's his only complaint. An enlarged prostate, the doctors call it, a common issue for elderly men. There is little that can be done. You could operate but it is really not necessary, they tell us.
My dad won't hear of an operation. He barely takes any medicines. When I tell him to pop a sleeping pill, he demurs. He doesn't refuse, my dad. That's not his way. He simply laughs and doesn't engage.
This is common among Indians of my father's generation - people who grew up during India's freedom struggle. They don't trust western medication too much. They prefer the holistic ways used by their parents and ancestors - drinking tulsi (holy basil) tea for colds, rubbing on some eucalyptus oil for a headache, and applying a warm herbal poultice for aches and pains.
My mother-in-law is the same way, as is my mum. They'd much rather use naturopathy or homoeopathy. Anything but popping a pill.
What I don't say; what I cannot say, is this: "What long-term side effects can you possibly have at 80? Shouldn't you therefore throw caution to the wind and pop pills if you must? That's what I would do."
Not my Dad, though. He prefers the natural ways.
My mother-in-law frequently announces that the one thing she cannot stand is her children getting old. "I don't mind getting old," she says, as she colours her long hair black - her only vanity. "What I cannot stand is to watch my children getting old."
It's the same way for me. I cannot stand to watch my parents get old. Not for mystical philosophical reasons but simply as a child impatient with their instructions, admonitions and cautions - all the stuff that I have been hearing all my life.
When my dad tells me to make copies of my passport before a foreign trip, I roll my eyes, and then do it anyway. When he repeats for the umpteenth time that I should get a chauffeured limousine in Rome instead of taking a plain old taxi, I purse my lips and sigh. "Come on," I think, "I am not a child anymore. I know how to take care of myself in a foreign city."
My dad visits me everyday. My parents live around the corner and he likes to drop in. I try to sit down with him for a coffee at least. It doesn't always happen. Sometimes, I prefer to check my emails or be at the computer when he visits. He sits down to read the paper, gets the lay of the land and reports back to my mum.
He doesn't take much space, my dad - neither physical nor psychological. He lets me be, mostly. Except when it comes to documents of any kind: passports, driving licences, mutual fund reports. Then his methodical instincts get the better of him. That's when he nags; and that's when I start taking deep breaths. Lots of them.
When I get old things will be different. I will be different, I think to myself. I will be just as I am now - vital, energetic, not a nag, even saintly.
This then is what the Hindus called "maya" or illusion. We see our parents getting old; their slow ways and constant nagging irritates us. And yet, what we don't realise, what we don't internalise is that we are all going to end up in the exact same situation. It's called ageing and it hits everyone. Even my dad.
Shoba Narayan is the author of Return to India: a memoir
Online: www.shobanarayan.com
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579