2 Dubai-based friends launch their books, artworks

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

Two Dubai-based friends, both with common roots in South Africa, have launched their books at an art exhibition of their own works, providing a rare opportunity to residents to admire their creative works.

Abhi Indrarajan and Naseema Taleb, the residents of Dubai, collaborated and launched their respective books combined with a photo exhibition held at The Retreat Palm Dubai.

The bustling art and creative hub that Dubai is fast becoming, played a big role in bringing these two friends together, both with common roots in South Africa, who met and connected with each other during a wellness event held in 2020 in Dubai during the pandemic. They came together again to launch their books which are connected with a theme – Mindfulness through their own viewpoints.

A Landscape of Memories, a coffee table photobook, by Abhi Indrarajan is showcasing his captures of landscapes throughout his travels around the world. Every landscape has a special memory associated for the author.  The interesting angle to it is the fact that each picture has quotes by his friends and family reflecting upon the pictures, lending them a deeper and different, mindful perspective.

Living Awake, by Naseema Taleb, is a collection of essays which describe her own journey of transformation and growth arising out of mindful reflections of self-experiences and self-awareness paving a path for its readers to their own self-discovery. 

The photo exhibition was a wonderful opportunity to glimpse the beauty of the global landscapes captured by Indrarajan in his book, carefully curated and presented artistically.

Abhi Indrarajan, one of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s most well-known photographers, originally from Sri Lanka, spent his growing up years in South Africa which is beautifully represented in his book. He is a visual artist inspired by nature and captures the essence of memories and feelings in his landscape shots.

Naseema Taleb, a life and transformation coach who also spent her student life in Durban, hails fom Mauritius. Her book Living Awake, uses a technique called intuitive journalling, a form of therapeutic writing which requires courage and deep observation leading to inner healing and developing clarity of thoughts.

Both the authors have co-facilitated several workshops in Dubai together on mindful photography and intuitive journalling and it was the next logical step for them to collaborate and launch their books together.