Dr Abdullah’s endless quest for truth

The extraordinariness of his vision of life lay in his in-born refusal to see the ordinary man as a part-time human being. It’s a trait that has only one fallout: destruction. Most successful people find it impossible to avoid the degeneration. But he — humane to the core — remained foreign to the feeling till the last day of his life.

He strode across life with telling effect because he strode with conviction. And that conviction was the heartwarming consequence of a principled journey that we can safely attribute to the richness of the Emirati tradition and his unblemished upbringing.

The best lessons of life, like always, came to Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam at home. They revolved around the quest for an honest interpretation of reality and a settled belief in the indispensability of that search.

Years of untainted labour, uncompromising commitment and devotion to the resolution of crises in others’ lives went on to form the journey, which saw the birth and growth of the daily newspaper Al Khaleej and all that make the Dar Al Khaleej group a much-loved household name.

The publication, that matches the best in its fraternity, has always had a cutting-edge appeal and effortlessly dishes out truth, a highly sought-after professional triumph that wouldn’t have been possible without Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam and his brother Taryam Omran Taryam’s unconditional faith in liberal values and minds that are never reliant on succulent market forces.

They always held intellectual freedom above all else, a quality freely mouthed by many but followed by a few. And the brothers were a part of that galvanising elite.

These observations aren’t the fallout of hearsay, but the result of working with the group’s leader at close quarters. He thundered when errors took place, but matched that ire with a million thanks when things were aptly executed.

He always made it a point to inform this writer about his pleasure when anything followed his prescribed format.

That delightful leadership, sagacity and emotional generosity are sorely missed. And it is missed more because nowadays, even thank yous arrive in the form of, not words, but emoticons. May his soul rest in peace.