Dubai: It was Monday evening. Dubai-based Indian expatriate Nishas Ahmed sat relaxing after work in his room, when suddenly a special Instagram notification caught his attention and made his day. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council had just commented on a photograph he had posted.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ahmed said: "I was so surprised, it was something I had never imagined."
The Crown Prince of Dubai, who uses the Instagram handle @faz3, had commented with two thumbs-up emojis, appreciating a photograph taken by Ahmed.
The photo, taken by the 28-year-old Keralite, shows one of his friends from the US, sitting on a terrace railing, with Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa and other skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road, in the background.
"I was extremely flattered... I was so pleasantly shocked that I couldn’t even talk to my roommates. I just left my room and took a walk. I returned only after 30 minutes and shared the news with my roommates," added the Oud Metha resident.
"When I told my friends and family, everyone was happy. I have huge respect for him and I would love to meet him some day."
This is not the first time Sheikh Hamdan has reacted to Ahmed's photograph. "Last year he had liked a picture I had posted, showing a boat crossing in front of the Dubai Mall Fountain," he said.
Ahmed who works in a logistics company, moved to the UAE in 2019. He is also a freelance photographer.
"I used to take pictures on my mobile phone when I was in college. Five years ago one of my friends gave me a camera to use. Now, I take photos in my free time and am also a freelance photographer," said the expatriate who belongs to Calicut in Kerala.
