Nooruddin Khetiwala, like many of his generation, was an ambitious man of the 1970s. His intention was not just to seek better opportunities, but to establish himself as a successful businessman. It was this zest that brought him to Sharjah, UAE, in the early 1970s at the young age of 25; a time when the…
Category Archives: Bohra Men
Hafiz Khanbhoy hailed from a town called Kapadwanj in Gujarat where he along with his brothers plied modest ventures to make a living. Around the 1890s, Hafiz and his brothers decided to explore the markets of the Arab world, particularly Basra, Iraq, which was renowned for its pearls. In those days, pearl-diving was a coveted…
In 1972 a college friend from Abu Dhabi called Zohair Poonawala asking him to come and settle there to take advantage of the abundant opportunities present during that time. Although he did not entertain the thought at first, Zohair eventually answered his call and arrived in Abu Dhabi when the modern-day cosmopolitan city was still…
The Dadabhai Group began its journey as a modest trading house more than fifty years ago in the Kingdom of Bahrain. As economic opportunities began surfacing in the region, the Dadabhais were quick to spot them and realise their true potential in an array of sectors. The fifties was an era of transition and Bahrain was at…
Arriving in Doha was in part due to the influence of his peers for Taher Cutlerywala who decided to do so when he saw some of his friends migrating to the gulf region in the late 1970s. Although he had a modest stationery & cutlery business in Mumbai, Taher sought to move abroad hoping that…
At the young age of twenty-six, Zohair Hassanally left Mumbai to work as a sales manager at a company in the Middle-East. Little did he know that his job would take him to several countries for training purposes, before giving him the opportunity to finally settle in Muscat, Oman. He fondly recalls that period in…
When Alihusain Ragib arrived in Kuwait in 1965, he never thought that he would end up as a business owner. As a professional in an optics company, where he had worked for ten years, he was comfortable in his job. Then guidance from the current leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community gave him the courage…
A cosmopolitan destination, Dubai has been and continues to be a hub for growth, enterprise and engagement. It was these characteristics that saw a young Mufaddal Dahodwala arrive at its shores in 1991. Mufaddal had just completed his BCom in his native Mumbai, and inspired by his father to explore the world, set out for…