Former India Envoy's New Book Tells Story of UAE-India Friendship

Navdeep Suri, India's ambassador to the UAE until 2019, has written a book that captures decades of trust and cooperation between the two countries. Bridging The Gulf will be officially released in Abu Dhabi next week, according to The National.

Suri, 67, spent two years working on the book, speaking with top officials, business leaders and researchers. He was ready to send it to press when the Iran-US conflict began on 28 February, so he added a new chapter about how the UAE and India stood together during that period.

He describes how an air corridor was set up to fly fruit, vegetables, medicines and toiletries from India to the UAE, while fuel shipments continued from the UAE to India by sea. "We were able to avert a difficult situation back in India with the proactive support we received," Suri told The National. "We managed to ride it out reasonably well after the initial shock of the first three or four days."

He said ministerial visits during the conflict, including one by Reem Al Hashimy in March and a trip by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before a ceasefire, showed that "these are not empty gestures – you're standing with each other in real and meaningful ways."

The book also features rare photographs from national archives showing three generations of Emirati leaders planting saplings at Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi. Sheikh Zayed planted one in 1975, Sheikh Mohamed in 2016, and Sheikh Khaled in 2024, when he also watered the tree his grandfather had planted nearly 50 years earlier.

Suri says the pictures show the enduring nature of the relationship, but he believes more can be done to build connections with young Emiratis. He recalls visiting the Dubai home of Dr Anwar Gargash, where two black-and-white photographs of Gargash's father and grandfather in Mumbai from the early 20th century were pointed out as a reminder of those deep roots.