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MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 MARKETPLACEMA | 6 LIFESTYLE | 8 BOLLYWOOD | 11 FourF Seasons Hotel Using Facebook may Kareena is Doha welcomes help you live a rock star: new manager longer Neetu Kapoor Email: [email protected] Saad Ismail Al Jassem, one of the few pearl divers in Qatar, talks fondly about the old days of pearling, when oil was not discovered. P | 2-3 EARLY DAYS OF PEARLING 02 COVER STORY MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 Pics: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula it to the animals and during the summer of course we go to the sea. We go in a big boat with the captain, helper of the captain, the diver and helper of the diver,” said Saad. “The diver wear three things for diving, weight Pearl diver dives put on his feet to take the diver down, second is a basket to collect the oyster and third is the nose clip to put on the nose to avoid water going into the nose. into his past “Divers will take a long breath and go into the sea- to the bottom of the sea. The diver stays inside water for two minutes without breathing. Then he will give a signal to the helper and the helper will pull and bring him up, then the diver will put the oyster in to the basket and from the basket to the boat. Then he will dive again,” said Fazeena Saleem Hindi, recalls the good old early days of pearl- Saad. The Peninsula ing fondly. While, talking to us he took out an old nose At the age of 18, Saad became a diver, mas- clip from his pocket, and demonstrated how he s we walked on the alleys of Souq tered the art of pearl diving and turned into a would wear it. Also a basket in which they used Waqif in search of shops selling ‘Tawash’ – expert in the pearl trade. to collect the oysters is still hanging on the roof pearls, met with the veteran - prob- During the olden days, only equipment of his shop. ably the only surviving pearl diver divers like Saad used to find pearls were a nose In the past divers go pearl fishing from south in Qatar. clip, a net, which he put around his neck to place to the north of the Qatari waters, between 50 to ASaad Ismail Al Jassem, a multifaceted Qatari, pearls in, and a weight that was tied around the 80 miles. who has a fascinating story to tell. He talked to diver’s foot to stop him from floating. “We go diving daily from sun rise to sun set, The Peninsula about his life as a diver, a body- “In old days, before oil discovery, there was our journey takes about three to four months in builder, an entertainer and a poet. no way of income except, we go to the desert, the sea. We eat, drink and sleep in the boat,” said Saad is fluent in Arabic, English, Italian and cut wood, cook on it or sell, or cut grass and give Saad. MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 COVER STORY 03 In the ancient days traders came to Qatar from India, France and Italy looking for pearls. “The Souq Waqif was not like this before, the sea was near to the shops. Traders come in small and big boats from different countries and they buy pearls from us,” said Saad. Asked how often would he find pearls in oysters, Saad took a pause and said, “It all depends on the Rizq – blessings of Allah.” However, now things have changed, but Saad’s shop is filled with countless colourful pearls – the modern day fresh water pearls. He is more a story teller of the tradition and culture of ancient Qatar, he refrains from telling customers rosy stories about the pearls he sells or do not try to somehow do business. In other words he is very straight forward, just explain customers about the nature and price of the pearls and let them free to make a decision. Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China. A string of fresh water pearls would cost between QR100 to QR1000 depending on their nature. “Now we import fresh water pearls from India, Japan, Sri Lanka and China. But these days China is the fresh water pearl hub,” says Saad. His shop holds a name board ‘Phalwan Saad Ismail Al Jassim :The Old pearl diver.’ ‘Pahlwan,’ an Ara- bic word referring to Saad’s admiration for body building and public performances. Bodybuilding photographs in various poses pasted near the front door and wall of the shop prove his long-term commitment to fitness. Saad is nearly 80 years old and still continue to practice his ability to rest on nails. He also showed a video and photographs of him lying on a bed of glass, holding a board with stacked boulders, as another man whacks at them with a sledgehammer. Saad upholds a passion for liv- ing and wants to continue diving and body building as long as he can. 04 CAMPUS MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 Star students of the Month felicitated at OIS total of 14 ‘Star Students of the Month’ along with their A parents graced the Olive Inter- national School’s (OIS) Nuaija Campus recently for an exclusive “Coffee with Principal” evening, which was cele- brated with great enthusiasm. During this harmonious event, OIS Principal, Vice-Principal and the academic coordinators inter- acted with parents of star students as part of the school’s mission towards enhanced integration with the parents’ community. Apart from the formal award ceremony, the celebration comprised of group and family photo sessions in addi- tion to entertainment and surprises Principal Jacob KM congratulated also greatly appreciated the star sincere pleasure to accompany for the children and parents. In his the star students and encouraged parents for their vital contribution them for a memorable coffee address to the august audience, OIS them to extend their very best. He towards their wards and expressed evening together. Musical show at American School of Doha o to the woods and bring me back, Beanstalk” fame, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapun- One: the cow as white as zel and Cinderella. milk,Two: the cape as red as And while everybody on stage finagles their “Gblood,Three: the hair as yellow way into going to the king’s festival, it’s such a as corn,Four: the slipper as pure as gold”. And nice feeling to know that you are already there… so it begins. A fairy tale with in a fairy tale. Wait, and you didn’t even have to sell your cow to do not within a fairy tale, within four of them! this. Tickets are available at the American Into the Woods Jr., this year’s American School of Doha and please email communica- School of Doha’s Middle School production, is [email protected] for event information. a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine recounts four familiar childhood fairy tales woven together by a baker, his wife, and a witch who of course happens to be evil, although in all fair- ness, it’s partly because the baker takes her magic beans! As it turns out, this witch needs the afore- mentioned articles in order to lift a certain curse that has left the baker’s wife barren, and so the hunt for these items begin. These characters cross paths with Jack of “Jack and the MONDAY 13 MARCH 2017 MARKETPLACE 05 Skyline Automotive supports W-League kyline Automotive, the recently diversifying the number and types appointed official distribution of activities available to residents Spartner of the Hyundai Motor in Qatar. Company for Qatar, has supported Describing its efforts, Skyline the country’s biggest non-profes- Automotive Marketing Manager sional basketball and volleyball Johan Madarasz said: “We are a championship - the W-League local business and it is really impor- Qatar - in organising its most suc- tant for us to support our cessful season yet. community here in Qatar. Aligned The news highlights Skyline with Hyundai’s vision, we want to Automotive’s commitment to back- become a long-term partner for our ing a wide range of programs and customers in ways that extend activities that are making a positive beyond selling top quality automo- difference to people’s lives. biles. Hyundai is already involved received support for the 2016-2017 The partnership with the in large-scale, prestigious sponsor- season, which includes Season 6 of W-League Qatar is the first in a ship activities for the FIFA World the volleyball and basketball cham- number of initiatives planned in Cup and the Olympic Games. We pionship. W-League Chairmen Nur support of community groups, want to bring the same level of Emir Manguinao welcomed the organizations and individuals in commitment to our partners in local chance to work with Skyline Auto- Doha during the coming year in the communities, whether organiza- motive, saying: “We are excited areas of sport, adventure, art, inno- tions or individuals, and to celebrate about our new partnership with vation, education and health. those people making a positive dif- Skyline Automotive.” Skyline Automotive’s commu- ference in society. We look forward Skyline Automotive has ambi- nity engagement programme is to working with and welcoming tious plans for Qatar as it embarks inspired by the Hyundai Motor anyone interested in hearing more on engaging with customers and Company’s focus on enhancing peo- about our engagement program and building brand loyalty in the com- ple’s everyday lives.

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