DUBAI // Finding a free minute during his 13-hour cleaning shift at a Dubai government department is not always easy for Dhanunjay Karapu.
But whenever an opportunity arises, the 26-year-old retires to a quiet corner under a staircase where, looking through a window on to a spacious patio, he expertly sketches Dubai’s skyline.
The Indian’s artistic talent reveals itself during these moments of contemplation. Drawn across three sheets of paper is a panoramic view of a garden with the city’s towers in the background. The self-taught artist, who started cleaning the offices of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence shortly after arriving in the emirate eight months ago, uses only black pen and some coloured pencils to reproduce the view.
Like the rest of the pieces that fill his sketchbook, the drawings are expertly realistic, despite being the work of someone who has never formally trained as an artist.
“When I draw, I feel happy and at peace,” said Mr Karapu, talking with the help of a translator. “I forget my job and leave all the tension behind.”
Mr Karapu often chooses his subjects from pictures he finds in newspapers. Among his drawings are portraits of some of the UAE’s leaders, such as the late Sheikh Zayed, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Among the drawings are also portraits of the late Nelson Mandela, as well as Mahatma Gandhi, whose face Mr Karapu copied from an Indian rupee note. There is also the Mona Lisa, portraits of famous Indian actors and actresses, a female cheetah with her cubs and buildings such as the Burj Khalifa, the Taj Mahal and the Eiffel Tower. Most of his drawing he does on Fridays, when he usually spends three hours in the afternoon with his pen in hand.
Drawing has been a part of his life since he was nine years old, when he first picked up a pencil. However, by age 10 he had already quit school to join his father working at a garment factory in Maharastra, a day’s train journey from his hometown of Hyderabad.
While working in Maharastra, Mr Karapu would go to Mumbai once a week to browse the museums and galleries.
Less than a year ago, he made the decision to come to Dubai for a better opportunity to support his family. On a monthly salary of Dh900, he helps his two younger sisters and mother, who work in a small factory making beedis, traditional hand-rolled cigarettes. His father is unable to work for at least a month after having diabetes diagnosed.
In the UAE, the young artist’s talent would have remained unnoticed were it not for project support officer Batool Suleimanji.
“I have seen more than this,” she said. “More than what we have just seen in the book. One day he showed me and I thought this was amazing.”
Thanks to Ms Suleimanji, one of Mr Karapu’s drawings was featured in the State of Energy Report, which was published in October last year by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, with the assistance of Dubai Carbon and the United Nations Development Programme.
Mr Karapu is yet to make money from his drawings but said that will not stop him from enjoying and practising his art. His dream is to go back to India soon, get married and maybe even one day have his works on show in a gallery, following in the footsteps of his inspiration, the artist M F Husain.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Age 26
Born May 17, 1991
Height 1.80 metres
Birthplace Sydney, Australia
Residence Eastbourne, England
Plays Right-handed
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$5,761,870 (Dh21,162,343.75)
Wins / losses 312 / 181
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Jebel Ali results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 64,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: One Vision, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gabr, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
4pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 96,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
4.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Torno Subito, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Untold Secret, Jose Santiago, Salem bin Ghadayer
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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