Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said dominated the politics of Oman for half a century, becoming the longest-serving Arab leader in the world. He can be attributed as the ruler who transformed the socio-economic landscape of Oman.
From pulling the country out of poverty through the oil reservoirs to brokering peace and establishing religious tolerance in the conflicted region rife with sectarianism, Sultan earned praise from leaders across the world for mastering the craft of diplomacy. Following his demise on Friday 10th January, leaders across the world- from Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to America's President Donald Trump and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II from the UK- sent their condolences to the to Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the new successor to the throne.
Oman observed three days of national mourning in the memory of late Sultan Qaboos. But, the gesture from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi perhaps surprised those who were unaware of the special Oman-India relationship. As a mark of respect, the Indian government observed one day’s state mourning on January 13 throughout India with the national flag flying at half-mast.
History records that Qaboos was the chief architect of Indo-Oman strategic partnership including allowing access to the Indian Navy at Duqm Port to providing Omani citizenship to nearly 1,000 Hindus and personally cared for two temples in Oman paving the ground for religious tolerance and celebration of multi-faiths. In 2018 during Modi's visit to Muscat Qaboos made a special gesture of sending breakfast made in Palace for the PM at the hotel where he stayed. It is also noteworthy that Sultan Qaboos’ grandfather once ruled Oman from India in the early decades of the last century and has now been buried in Mumbai.
But, not many are aware of the Oman-Kutch special relationship that dates back from the era of Harrapan Civilization and fostered by the Gujarati entrepreneurial community and Kutchi traders. Historians and academics have chronicled how the goods were exported to Oman via the Lothal port and the Dholaveera site. The Bhatia community from Kutch was the first among all Gujaratis to settle overseas — relocating to Muscat. Whilst Kanak Sheth, the scion of the Kheemji Ramdas group, who travelled from the coastal area of Mandavi to Muscat is one such example of the people-to-people contact between the two countries.
As people emigrated from India to Muscat, community organisations and religious institutions shaped up. It was under the guidance of Sheikh Kanaksinhbhai Kheemji, Chandrakant Chothani, Jeetendra Shukla and Bachubhai Dholakiya that the first 'Muscat Sanskrutik Samaj' was founded. Even today, the supplies for the palace of Sultan are managed under the aegis of Dharamshi Nanji's family. Meanwhile, the shiv temple in Oman is about 150 years old and is believed to have been personally looked after by the late Sultan himself. Following the late Sultan Qaboos' demise, Prime Minister Modi tweeted:
"I heartily congratulate HM Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al Said on taking over as Sultan of Oman. I am confident that under his leadership, Oman will continue to progress and prosper and contribute to global peace. India has millennia-old relations with Oman. We look forward to working hand in hand with HM Sayyid Haitham to further strengthen our strategic partnership."
His successor the new Sultan, Haitham bin Tariq will now have to undertake serious economic reforms to safeguard Qaboos' legacy and maintain internal stability. This comes at a time when in the last few years the sultan struggled to diversify Oman's economy and reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons.
