‘Are you sleeping peacefully?’: A stranger's question captures what Dubai means to this 27-year-old resident

Dubai: It started with wanting to say ‘thank you’.

Standing in line at a burger shop in Dubai one evening in April this year, 27-year-old Harikrishnan Valloli noticed an Emirati man ordering food ahead of him. For a few seconds, he debated whether to say anything.

Then a flood of memories came rushing back – how his parents arrived in the UAE from a small district in Kerala nearly three decades ago. The sacrifices they made. The opportunities they found. The life they built.

By the time the man turned around, Harikrishnan had made up his mind.

"I just felt like thanking him," he said in a video he posted on social media later.

That simple ‘thank you’ started a conversation that Harikrishnan still remembers, and which has resonated with thousands online after Harikrishnan shared it on Instagram.

The Emirati man, Harikrishnan said, simply asked: "Are you sleeping peacefully? Is your family safe? Are you all okay?”

Harikrishnan said yes his family was safe, which is why he just wanted to say ‘thank you’.

The man smiled and said: "Don't worry about anything. We all are here for you, always, and no matter what happens, this country will always stand with you.”

That conversation, Harikrishnan told Emirates 24|7, was a beautiful reminder of the journey his parents set out on in the 1990s.

Hailing from the Palakkad district of Kerala, Harikrishnan's mother is a structural engineer, who has over the years worked on projects that have become part of Dubai's skyline. One of her earliest assignments was the iconic Burj Al Arab.

Today, after nearly 25 years with the same company, she continues to work as a senior structural engineer and was once ranked among the top engineers in the region.

His father, meanwhile, has built a career in the restaurant business, eventually establishing restaurant ventures of his own.

Two years after they arrived, Harikrishnan was born at Dubai Hospital.

He attended Delhi Private School in Sharjah before graduating from Manipal University Dubai. Looking back, he says his family's journey resonates with Dubai's own transformation.

“We came from very humble backgrounds,” he said.

“My parents never imagined we would reach where we are today. We started from very little, but this country gave us a platform where growth was possible.”

Today, Harikrishnan works as a Sales Manager at Springfield Properties. At 27, he owns multiple properties and lives in a villa.

For Harikrishnan, Dubai's biggest gift is not wealth but mindset. Growing up, he remembers seeing luxury cars on the roads and asking his parents why they did not own one. Their answer was always the same: “You are the investment.”

Those words have always stayed with him. He believes his parents have helped him establish a ‘king’ mindset, where he believes in himself even when the odds may seem against him.

"My mother gave me the mindset and my father taught me how to manage money," he said.

Dubai, on the other hand, has taught him to never dream small, and the community he has found has further pushed him to be ambitious.

"Dubai teaches you that if you have the best platform available, why would you settle for less? We keep pushing each other. We hype each other up. We tell each other we can do bigger things," he said.

"That mentality comes from being surrounded by people who are building, growing and succeeding."

In 2019, he recalled being told by relatives that he would never amount to much because he was not a top student. His response became a personal challenge.

Today, he credits Dubai for helping him turn that confidence into reality.

While opportunity is important, Harikrishnan says the feeling that matters most is security.

He spoke about how the UAE ensured everyone’s safety, but also focussed on a quick response to a crisis, which made all the difference.

"As a businessman, speed matters," he said.

"We value speed very highly. That's one thing this country does exceptionally well. Even during difficult times, things continue moving."

But beyond infrastructure, investments and economic growth, he says it is the human side of Dubai that stands out. After posting his video online, he received hundreds of messages from Emiratis and residents alike. Many thanked him for expressing what they themselves felt.

"The beautiful thing is that we don't feel like expats," he said.

"A lot of Emiratis messaged me personally and thanked me for my words. That's the beauty of this country."

Having spent his entire life in Dubai, Harikrishnan believes the emirate's greatest achievement is bringing together people from every corner of the world.

"We learn from different cultures every single day. You create your own blend from everything around you."

And for him, Dubai's growth is mirrored in the growth of its people.

"If the country grows, I grow. That is the beauty of it," he said.

As for the conversation at the burger shop, when the whole region was dealing with a conflict? Harikrishnan says the essence of the conversation beautifully depicts what makes Dubai special for him.

The stranger did not talk about business, property or success. Instead, he asked one question: "Are you sleeping peacefully?"