Anand Mahindra Reflects on Ex Jet Airways CEO-Designate Over Dubai Rains

Sanjiv Kapoor reposted Mr. Mahindra’s post on the heavy rain in Dubai and commented that the analogy used was incorrect. Dubai recently faced an unprecedented weather event with heavy rain causing disruptions to air travel and flooding on the streets, halting normal activities. The state-run weather agency described it as a “historic weather event,” noting that such rain had not been seen in Dubai for 75 years.

On April 17, Mr. Kapoor criticized Mr. Mahindra’s analogy comparing Dubai rains to Mumbai rains, calling it incorrect. In response, the Mahindra Group Chairman recommended pausing before reacting. He clarified that his post was intended to highlight the atypical nature of the weather in Dubai, not to mock the city.

The discussion continued with Mr. Kapoor agreeing with Mr. Mahindra and expressing that his initial reaction was triggered by others’ responses, not Mr. Mahindra’s post. Mr. Kapoor reiterated that Dubai was not built to handle heavy rains and suggested a different analogy involving snow in Bombay to illustrate the unpreparedness for such weather. Later, Mr. Kapoor clarified that while Mr. Mahindra’s post may not have been mocking Dubai, the fundamental point remained that Dubai was not designed to handle heavy rains.

He emphasized the impracticality of building cities to handle every extreme weather scenario.