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“The UAE is my home away from home”
Life can be challenging, but it is your mindset that determines success. It’s easy to give up in the face of adversity. However, it takes more than perseverance to keep fighting for your dreams and turn them into reality.
Many may see this “noble thought” as a moral maxim, but Danube Group vice-chairman Anis Sajan is a shining example of the “UAE Dream”, which is very similar to the “American Dream” because His three decades of hard work and strong belief in certain core values, which he remained steadfast in even when he faced difficulties during his formative years in Mumbai, India in the late 1970’s.
Anis lost his father, Asker Ali Sajan, who worked as a clerk at Nathani Steel when he was 8, and his world – an apartment in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar – “collapsed overnight”.
He recalled how his father became a much-loved man in the company when all the employees came to his funeral. His father’s untimely death left his older brother – Rizwan, who was eight years older than Anis – the sole breadwinner in the family. It was a tough time.
With Brother Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group
Anis’ mother, Gulbanu Sajan, suffers from epilepsy and his eldest sister Shabnam acted as his “godmother”, ensuring a carefree upbringing “playing cricket and flying a kite” despite financial constraints.
Anis exhibits typical Sajan traits and has always been a “talented salesman”. At the age of 10, he started selling lanterns for pocket money during Diwali, India’s annual festival of lights.
with sister sabnam kassam
“It’s not how much I earn, but it’s more about knowing value for money and trying to sell. It’s been a life lesson that has helped me a lot,” he says, recalling his salad days in his beloved Mumbai, In the well-appointed living room of his beautifully renovated villa in the Emirates Hills (the villa goes beyond brick and mortar) all kinds of rare handicrafts are what money can buy, but it is his wife Rubina that makes up his happy family Love and warmth with his two sons, Azhar, 24, and Sahil, 21. Anis is a devoted family man and a strict discipline).
Rubina, Anis, Azhar and Sahil Sajan
Anis was spending some of the best time of his life with his friends and classmates at the KJ Somaiya College of Arts and Sciences in Mumbai when Rizwan, who found a job in oil-rich Kuwait in 1980, invited his His younger siblings joined him.
“I couldn’t say no to his request because he has been my father, mentor, friend-philosopher-guide and we still enjoy a lovely relationship to this day,” recalls Anis fondly. Anis landed in Kuwait on January 2, 1990, where Rizwan, under the able guidance of his owner, Jacob Moses, made his debut in the timber business of the Atlas Commercial Company.
Anis’ work in Kuwait was “unremarkable because I miss Mumbai so much”.
The first Gulf War cut short his stay in Kuwait and he returned to Mumbai on 2 October 1992. Over the next 14 months, after Rizwan bought an apartment in posh Mumbai, Anis moved from Pantnagar to the suburb of Bandra, where he honed his skills as a salesman at Indian consumer goods company Eureka Forbes. technology, the company holds the largest share in the water purifier market. He was one of the company’s key salespeople, sometimes earning 20 times his meager salary on “phenomenal sales.”
Things were going well, but life, as always, had other plans for Anis, who was destined to make his mark on the Arabian Gulf.
Rizwan moved to Dubai in late 1991 and he hoped Anis would join him.
This time, therefore, it is the UAE, a young nation that is emerging on the world stage thanks to the visionary leadership of its founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Arriving in Dubai on 12 November 1992, he was stunned at the immigration counter by charming Emirati officials who greeted him in Hindi, “Aap kaise hain?” Feeling at home in a foreign land.”
He spent the next 30 years cultivating that feeling, and went on to swear that the country had become “a home away from home because of its unprecedented security and melting pot of cultures — a happy fusion of East and West celebrating diversity.” “.
However, Anis’s entry into the UAE would not have been possible if Rizwan hadn’t ensured that his younger brother would not miss the Mumbai vibe. Rizwan brought Anis to Karama, one of the vibrant Indian enclaves in fledgling Dubai, which immediately attracted the attention of the man destined to prosper in Dubai. Youth resonance.
“A driver’s license at the time was one of the most prized possessions. Very few expats were able to obtain a driver’s license quickly. However, I was one of the luckiest and got one within three months, which was a huge benefit to my sanitary ware business It came in handy. I still remember my first car in the UAE, a Mazda station wagon – plate number 88530 – which helped me deliver goods in Dubai and adjoining Sharjah and Abu Dhabi,” he said . Rizwan stuck with his timber business and the brothers moved on as suppliers to Deira wholesalers.
A team of four, including two employees, is packing.
When Rizwan traveled by water to a lumber mill in Romania in 1993, he quickly decided to name his venture the Danube — the second longest river in Europe after the Volga.
Anis said the UAE was “blessed by the hand of God”.
“Originally, it was the rebuilding of Kuwait after the first Gulf War and then the collapse of the Soviet republic which brought a lot of Russians to Dubai. They were big buyers and I kept selling my sanitary ware until we diversified our portfolio , such as hardware, ceramic tiles, electrical and bathroom fittings, etc. I went to exhibitions in Bologna, Italy, Frankfurt, Germany, and Taiwan to purchase sanitary fittings and shower curtains, and steel bars that Russians buy in bulk,” he said.
With his business thriving, he married Rubina in 1996, just as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched a series of Ambitious development plans.
Rizwan and Anis were in the right place at the right time. The unity of being – time, place and action – couldn’t have been more fitting for the Sajan brothers, who at the turn of the millennium were poised to open up a real estate sector that profited from Dubai’s real estate boom of 2003 to 2008 .
In 2003, Rizwan invested in four villas in Dubai Marina – one for himself and one for Anis – and rented out the other, as the major developers at the time relied heavily on Sajans for steel, timber, sanitary products, hardware and electrical fittings. They ensured there would never be a shortage of construction raw materials and overcame the 2008 global economic crisis, the aftershocks of which were felt in the UAE.
The 2008 recession, widely seen as a time of adversity, also provided the Danube Group with a rare opportunity to venture into uncharted territory in the retail building materials business, backed by the simple business adage “no risk, no gain”. The Sajans opened their first store, Build Mart, in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) in 2008, and retail everything from chandeliers to wallpaper and kitchenware sourced from China and Italy to create a home under one roof.
Since changing its name to Danube Home, Buildmart has grown and expanded to Manama, Bahrain; to other emirates in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.
Starting with two employees in 1993, Danube Group now employs more than 4,500 people across all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with Jebel Ali, Dubai, the home-grown company’s headquarters.
In 2014, Sajans decided to venture into the real estate business – developing and selling properties – which disrupted the real estate market in Dubai due to its innovative pricing mechanism.
Dreamz’s first real estate project, a four-bedroom villa property priced at over AED 3 million for expatriates, was launched in Al Furjan in 2014.
“The investment has been a huge success as we are seeing the other end of the price spectrum, for example studios in Al Furjan, Arjan and Miracle Gardens, one bedroom and two bedrooms cost Dh400,000, Dh600,000 and Dh800,000 . We can offer unbelievable prices because we pass on the profits of building materials to our customers. This is how we are always ahead of our competitors. We can offer our first ever price at Discovery Gardens Expat property buyers offer the quality of Dubai Marina,” Anis said.
Furthermore, the 1% payment plan has proven to be a game-changer for expatriate homebuyers with median annual incomes looking to convert their rental payments into equal monthly installments (EMI).
“A homebuyer needs to pay 52% of the cost of his/her apartment, in two payments of 10% each, in order to get the keys. This pricing mechanism is unheard of in this part of the world. It is worth noting that the debate The focus is on why people invest in Danube Group? It’s not just pricing and payment plans, it’s their innate trust in the brand. It’s a reputation we’ve carefully built over the years. Our organic growth and ethical business practices are what we largest capital and assets,” he added.
Over the years, Danube Group’s brand ambassadors – from legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar to actresses Juhi Chawla, Sushmita Sen and Shilpa Shetty – have reinforced a high level of trust which has spawned two other strong brands, Milano and Casa Milano, helmed by Anis’ dynamic sons, Azhar and Sahir. For the uninitiated, Milano and Casa Milano offer affordable and luxurious bathroom accessories and tiles, respectively, that exemplify Italian craftsmanship.
Anis, an avid yoga practitioner and die-hard cricketer, has lived a fulfilling life with the continued support and encouragement of the UAE’s visionary leadership, helping Danube Group to become a leading local corporate entity that is Expansion into real estate to hospitality to entertainment.
However, he still has several unfinished agendas. India and Pakistan – the two great cricketing nations – last played a Test match in December 2007. Although the two teams have clashed in shorter matches, Anis harbors ambitions of staging a three-two bilateral Test series between key rivals in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Under the leadership of the next generation of Sajans, including his nephew Adel (Managing Director of Danube Group) and his sons, a cherished dream may one day come true while seeing the global footprint of Danube Group, Azha and Shahi. “Adel, Azhar and Sahil all have connections, like mine and Rizwan, and that’s a major factor in our success. I’m sure it’s crucial to spreading the impact of the Danube across the globe,” says Anis.
joydeep@khaleejtimes.com
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