Stories such as those of Narain Sawlani, Firoz Merchant, Vasu Shroff are inspiring for the many who arrive at these shores in hope of wealth, professional success and better quality of life. These are real rags to riches stories that would inspire books and films, and there are many more such stories to be found:
He swears by his daily morning walk even now that he is well over 90 and recommends this to everyone as the secret to wellbeing. The chairman of the Arabian Trading Company still does not miss a day of work if he can help it. When he first came to Dubai 79 years ago, there was no electricity, no roads, or running water. He had modest beginnings as a financer and small trader when he joined the family business. They would come for the pearling season and stay for six months each year. Today he is a business tycoon and something of a legend in the Indian community of UAE.
His journey began from Ghatkopar, a suburb of Mumbai when at age 12 he started his first business: buying wholesale stationery from Masjid Bunder and selling it to family and friends for a small profit; similarly with crackers for Diwali. Rizwan Sajan also sold milk and did odd jobs to keep things going. His entrepreneurial spirit took him to Kuwait and then brought him to Dubai. When he set up his trading company Danube, his wife Sameera was his first employee. He credits Dubai for his name, fame and wealth; saying it has given him more than he could have imagined. Today he is not just a successful business owner but also a philanthropist who remembers his humble beginnings and wants to give back to society any way he can.
He came to Dubai by boat as so many other young men who came with ambition in their hearts and determination in their minds. He was 18 and he had the princely sum of five rupees in this pocket when he came to Dubai to do the job of an office assistant. He remembers his first night in Dubai when he was introduced to the concept of about 10 people eating together from one bowl of meat gravy, with each person dipping their naan in. Today, Ram Buxani is the head of the ITC Cosmos Group and has a personal net worth of about $81 million. He has repeatedly been identified as one of the top Indian leaders by Forbes.
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