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Generally it is thought that the
earnings of expatriates in the Gulf countries have changed the
lives of Indian Muslims in a big way. It is undoubtedly true that
the economic and financial condition of Muslims in several parts
of India has improved after the Gulf‟s petrol boom. But it is not
correct to say that Gulf countries became pasturing land for the
Muslims only. These countries opened the floodgate of
opportunities for everyone irrespective of caste, creed or
religion. The trend of migrating to Gulf equally benefited all the
communities in India. Majority of well off Indians in Gulf
countries are non Muslims.
The non Muslim Indians in the six
GCC countries may be lesser in number compared to their Muslim
counterparts but, it is irrefutable fact that even in Gulf
countries the non-Muslims are much better-off than Muslims when
compared to their living conditions and standard of living. The
majority of Indian Muslims in Gulf countries are semi skilled
workers and blue collar employees. Where as, the majority of non
Muslims are holding key positions in different sectors and also
dominate the retail business.
It may be unbelievable for few, but
the reality is that non-Muslims on key positions outnumber Indian
Muslims in various sectors like banking, finance, hospitality,
transportation; healthcare etc.
The above facts are not just
assumptions, they are real facts derived from the figures emerged
after analyzing the list of one hundred powerful Indians in six
GCC countries. The list is compiled and published by Dubai based
English magazine Arabian Business. Famous for its listings of
Richest Arabs, Arabian Business Rich list, Efficient CEOs, Smart
Banks; the magazine brought out its first ever list of Gulf‟s
hundred most influential Indians.
Can you imagine what could be the
number of Muslims in the list of 100 influential Indians in GCC?
You may think they dominate the list or you may assume that they
make at least half of the list. Hold on! You may be surprised but
the reality is that they can‟t even make 20 % of it! The number of
Muslims among 100 powerful Indians in GCC is just 18. The power
list of influential Indians is based on how much impact the
actions of one person can have on others, hence the more impact,
the more influence. The publishers considered Indians from across
the six Gulf nations Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar,
Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman from all walks of life. List includes the
big names from more than 20 sectors including business, media,
entertainment, law, academia, arts, fashion, music etc.
Among the 18 powerful Muslim Indians
included in the list, 13 belongs to UAE, three from Saudi Arabia
and one each from Qatar and Oman. When Maghanmal Pancholia arrived
in the UAE seven decades ago aboard a Chinese cargo ship he was
looking for a new life and a business opportunity. Renowned as the
oldest expatriate in the emirate, he eventually rose up through
the business ranks and became one of the most influential players
in the Indian community. As the Chairman of Arabian Trading
Agency, he is placed fifth in the list. Pancholia is believed to
be a trend setter for Indian expatriates to make their fortune in
the retail business. This trend spread among Indians in UAE so
stead fasted that the list is dominated by those associated with
the retail sector.
Thirty retailers make their entry to
the list. The Managing Director of retail giant Emke Group Yousuf
Ali MA took the top spot and emerged as the most influential
Indian in Gulf. The retail mogul sits atop a business empire that
owns Lulu Hyper Markets and employs 22,000 people from over 29
countries. The group has a turnover of more than $3.5 Bn globally.
It is one of the largest Indian-owned conglomerates in the Gulf.
Most of the Indian Muslims in Gulf
are employed in private sector. Only few of them tend to do
business. Among thirty Indians representing retails business, only
five are Muslims, including the top listed Yousuf Ali. Even though
Gulf region is regarded as the pioneer of Islamic Banking and Sharia compliant Financial Services, the majority of Indians
playing vital role in the boardrooms of international and local
banks in the region belongs to other communities. While 17 top
executives from Banking and Finance sector got listed as powerful
Indians, surprisingly the list does not include any Muslim! Just
one Mustafa Vayazil appears in the list but represents Insurance
sector and not banking. He is the Managing Director of
Gargash Insurance, UAE.
Only two Muslims appear among the fifteen big shots listed from
the construction and real estate sector. While P Mohammed Ali,
Vice Chairman, Gulfar Company, Oman stands as the sixth powerful
Indian in GCC, Syed Salahuddin, Managing Director, ETA Ascon &
Star Group holds twentieth position in the list.The list includes
four names for Saudi Arabia. President of Indian Overseas
Congress, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Asaar Khan find place on 23rd slot in
the list. Founding Member of International Indian School Jeddah
Dr. Rafiuddin Fazulbhoy is placed on 53rd position. The Kingdom‟s
Royal Physician Dr. Majiduddin Kazi is on 83rd position. Managing
Director of Nasser Al Hajri Corporation in Eastern Province, Dr.
Ravi Pillai is placed on number 90.
It may tend some readers to
surprisingly raise eyebrows but Indian women proved their prowess
even in the deserts of Arabia. Five women became the part of the
powerful Indians list. They represent Healthcare, Media and
Marketing sectors. The top among these women is the founder of
Zulekha Hospital and Healthcare Group, UAE Dr. Zulekha Daud. She
left India 40 years ago and came to UAE with a dream to offer
affordable quality medical facilities to all. She set up the
Zulekha Healthcare Group in 1961 which now employs around more
than a thousand staff and treats over 550,000 patients every year.
The Group has expanded and includes a new 88-bed hospital in
Dubai, four medical centers and three pharmacies. This year, Daud
signed a $24m financing deal with the World Bank to provide
affordable hospital care in India and the UAE.
Shobha Menon, Secondamong women in
the power list, is from Advertising industry. Currently CEO of
Equity Advertising, she carved a niche for herself in the industry
during the last two decades. When she joined multinational
advertising agency, Fortune PromoSeven in 1990, its Regional MD
Donal Kilelea warned that if she does not perform well in two
weeks, she will be sacked. She progressed in her career with many
leaps and bounds to grow and went on to become the legend of
Dubai‟s advertising scenario.Another medico Dr. Sarita Kapoor is
on the 82nd position. A Dubai based obstetrician and gynecologist
has been serving the vital needs of women in the UAE for the last
fifteen years. She was trained at various institutions in Chennai,
Singapore and Germany. She used her experience to help local
couples with infertility with the latest international high-tech
procedures. In her spare time, she also carried out substantial
charitable work.
Social worker in the Healthcare
sector, Gulshan Kavarana, Director, Special Families Support (SFS)
Group makes the position at 92. The Dubai-based mother of two has
made it her mission to help children with special needs,
particularly after her daughter was diagnosed with autism. She now
heads the SFS Group, which was founded in 1999. Kavarana helped
hundreds of parents to cope with their children having special
needs.
Model and Fashion Graduate, founder of Queen Bee Production, Uma
Ghosh Deshpande, got a slot on 93rd position. She also has a
fashion label, clothes from which sell in some of the UAE‟s most
high-end stores. She seeks to diversify to different media
activities. Among the list, 83 are from UAE alone. The names from
Qatar and KSA are six and four respectively. Kuwait and Oman has
three each while Bahrain has only one name. It will be interesting
to see in the coming years whether representation from countries
other than UAE will increase.
A chapter from Expat Rider
Title: Expat
Ride
Author:
Mohammed Saifuddin
Publisher:
YaHind News Network
Pages: 100
Price: Rs.150/-
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