Turning 104, this Dubai expat lives alone, walks miles, and skips birthdays
Dubai Marina resident Tehemten Homi Dhunjiboy Mehta. Photo: Mazhar Farooqui
At 103, Tehemten Homi Dhunjiboy Mehta walks unaided into a movie premiere. At an age when many struggle to walk, he climbs stairs to the theatre, greets strangers like old friends, and jokes with the ease of someone half his age.
The Dubai-based Zoroastrian resident, who turns 104 on May 9, brushed off all signs of ageing when he showed up at the premiere of the Malayalam film Aadrika at Al Ghurair Centre on Sunday. One of the oldest UAE residents, Mehta, showed up for the premiere smartly dressed and unassisted. He greeted fellow attendees, cracked jokes, and laughed heartily while refusing to be treated like a relic.
If there is a secret to his remarkable longevity and vitality, Mehta spells it out simply: “Don’t smoke, don’t drink hard drinks, and drink lots of water. And walk, when I say walk, I mean miles and miles.”
Until a few years ago, he’d routinely walk from the World Trade Centre to the Creek in Jumeirah. A fractured leg from a fall in 2018 sidelined him for several months, but not for long. He endured the pain and got back on his feet with sheer grit and determination.
At the Aadrika premiere, he was accompanied by longtime friend Tina Thapar, office manager at the law firm Al Midfa & Associates. She remains his closest support in a city where most of his old friends have long passed on.
Tehemten Homi Dhunjiboy Mehta with associates
Mehta has called Dubai home since 1980, when he moved here from Kenya and joined a five-star hotel in Deira as an accountant. He worked until 2002 when a background check revealed his age, and he was asked to retire. “But I never stopped being active,” he said.
Indeed, Mehta has never subscribed to a sedentary lifestyle. At the Dubai Fitness Challenge a few years ago, he was seen pumping iron and doing overhead presses with dumbbells. “Exercise is a key part of my regimen,” he told Khaleej Times back then.
In 2019, at age 97, he even got his UAE driving licence renewed. He hasn’t driven since 2004, though, not out of fear but principle. “Cars make people lazy. I prefer public transport or walking. Sometimes I’d walk for hours a day,” he said.
Living alone in a one-bedroom flat in Dubai Marina, Mehta continues to do all his household chores himself. He once bought a cleaning robot but never unpacked it. “I don’t need a robot,” he laughed. “I can do things myself.”
His day begins around 1.30pm with a cup of tea. He sleeps only after 4am and has just one light meal a day, usually dinner from a nearby restaurant or a supermarket. The rest of the night is spent reading or watching television.
Mehta never married and briefly considered relocating to the UK, where his sister lives. But that plan was shelved after he was mugged in broad daylight during a trip to London. “I feel safe in Dubai. There’s no place like it anywhere in the world,” he said.
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https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-expat-dhunjiboy-mehta-turns-104
May God bless you sir with continued good health 🙏.
I want to add that my GRANDFATHER lived a longer life. He was a railway station Master in Poona and retired at 65.
After that, he bought a home and a farm in Bareli, India, and I have been told that he lived until he was 112, or people say until 120. Until his last days, he walked through the jungle to the farm several miles daily. Many years ago, I went to Bareli, where my dad’s body is left in the Parsi Cemetery on a stone and covered with soil to decompose. I was very impressed by the Parsi Hall in Bareli and have never seen a larger table with chairs for over 100 people. Many photos and other interesting relics dated back over 150 years.
Strongly committed to the Parsi principle of Khao, Piyo Ne Maja Ni Life !!
Cheers