It has only been a few weeks since I arrived in New Delhi to begin my work as the UAE’s ambassador to India. A moment such as this usually calls for a description of arriving in a new country and starting afresh. I would use a different word altogether. I would call it apnapan (belonging).

This is one of the first Hindi words I have learnt, and I understand that no single translation captures it neatly, yet I have understood it instinctively. From childhood I have lived among and developed close friendships with Indians in the UAE. Now I have the privilege of getting to know the landscapes and communities they speak so fondly about.

That affection runs both ways. The Indians that reside in the UAE are an essential part of Emirati life and have made our country their karmabhoomi, and, more importantly, their home. When a family sends one of its own across the seas, it entrusts another country with something precious. In Arabic, we call that an amanah. In Hindi, you say amanat. The words are almost identical because the feeling behind them is the same. We understand that responsibility. It rests on something that is both ancient and enduring.

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