Indian envoy and AMU vice chancellor grace the occasion
The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) alumni in Qatar, under the banner of AMUAAQ, celebrated the annual Sir Syed Day on December 27, 2024 at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.
Prof Naima Khatoon, the first female Vice-Chancellor of AMU, graced the occasion as the chief guest, while the Indian Ambassador to Qatar HE Vipul presided over the gala ceremony.
Other guests of honour included former Vice-Chancellor of AMU Prof Mohammad Gulrez, Moez Wajihuddin and Patron of AMUAAQ Sophia Bukhari. Mustafa M Hariyanawala, Yashir Nainar, Haroon Sataj Khan and Anwar Karim were special guests.
The programme began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by a two-minute silence to mourn the passing of the former prime minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh.
Ghazala Yasmeen welcomed the guests, while Dr Ashna Nusrat and Dr Nayeem Aman conducted the programme as Masters of Ceremony. Dr Ashna Nusrat read a message of appreciation from the former Chancellor of AMU, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, addressed to the members of the AMU Alumni Association Qatar.
President of AMUAAQ Dr Nadeem Zafar Jilani, in his address, paid rich tributes to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. He recalled how Sir Syed travelled to England to study the British education system and established the MAO College based on the models of Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Prof Naima Khatoon spoke on the selected theme of the event, ‘One Team, One Dream’. She praised the unwavering love of alumni worldwide for their alma mater and its founder, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
Former Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Gulrez delivered the keynote address on ‘Jobs and Career Opportunities in the 21st Century’.
HE Vipul congratulated Aligarians on the Founder’s Day celebrations and acknowledged the contribution of great visionary Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in nation building.
Other dignitaries who spoke on the occasion included Sophia Bukhari and Anwar Karim.
As in previous years, AMUAAQ presented five achievement awards to eminent personalities. The first award, for lifetime achievement in the field of education, was presented to Prof Naima Khatoon. The award for outstanding community service was given to Safeerurahman, while Haroon Sartaj Khan, President of the AMU Alumni Association Oman, was named Aligarian of the Year. The Media Personality of the Year award was presented to RJ Aafrin of Radio Mirchi. Additionally, Akhtar Mehdi of the renowned Mehdi Hasan Tailors received a lifetime achievement award for his sartorial excellence in crafting traditional sherwanis, which have attracted many celebrities and former heads of state to his shop in Aligarh.
Er Jawed Ahmad, chairman of AMUAAQ, announced the formation of a pan-GCC Federation of AMU Alumni Associations to unite and bring together all Aligarians residing in the GCC countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Vice-President of AMUAAQ Faisal Naseem presented a vote of thanks to the sponsors, as well as the executive and advisory committee members of AMUAAQ.
Jawed Ahmad, chairman of AMUAAQ, proposed that the Vice-Chancellor Prof Naima Khatoon become the ex-officio patron of AMU alumni to strengthen AMUAAQ.
Another proposal regarding the establishment of an offshore AMU campus in Doha was also revisited. He further informed the audience that the AMUAAQ will sign MoUs with several companies to provide students with training and job opportunities.
AMU alumni from all walks of life attended the function with their families in large numbers. Many prominent residents of Doha were also present, including literary personalities such as Ateeq Anzer, Aziz Nabeel, Ahmad Ashfaq, Ashfaq Deshmukh, Wasi ul Haq Wasi, and Obaid Tahir, to name a few.
A raffle draw, sponsored by Malabar Gold, was held and won by Farhana, Imran, Kainat and Shoyeb.
An MoU was signed between AMUAAQ and Hind Guru Academy to support and guide NRI students during their stay in India.
In addition to thought-provoking speeches, the programme also featured an interactive ‘Kahoot Quiz’ on AMU and the Aligarh Movement.
Prizes were awarded to the top three winners, with Faisal Abdullah securing first place, Ayan as the first runner-up, and Ashfaque Deshmukh as the second runner-up. The quiz and IT support were expertly managed by Almas Ahmad.
Mementos and certificates were presented on behalf of AMUAAQ to the guests and notable achievers.
source: http://www.qatar-tribune.com / Qatar Tribune / Home> Nation / by Tribune News Network, Doha / January 02nd, 2025
Kalpakancheri (Malappuram District), KERALA / Dubai, U.A.E:
Indian recalls journey from being a fundraiser to rebuild a mosque to emerging a tycoon.
A young Azad Moopen at the inauguration of one of his clinics / Image Credit: Supplied
HIGHLIGHTS
Dr Azad Moopen came to the UAE in February 1987 to raise money for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown, Kalpakancheri in Malappuram district, Kerala.
Dr Moopen leased a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai to start a clinic
In 2008, Dr Moopen invited a private equity firm to invest in the company and they valued Aster DM Healthcare at $100 million.
In 2010 and 2011, Dr Moopen was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and Padma Shri, respectively, by the Government of India.
Aster DM is listed at NSE and BSE
Dubai:
Azad Moopen came to Dubai 34 years ago to raise money for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown, Kalpakancheri, in the Malappuram district, Kerala. He needed Rs1 million then, or Dh250,000 as per the currency exchange rate in 1987. The plan was just to collect the funds and return home. He had no intention to settle in the UAE.
Destiny, however, had other plans for Moopen – a gold medallist in general medicine and a lecturer at the Calicut Medical College at the time. Looking back, Moopen said it was this noble intention that perhaps set the background for something big to happen in his life.
Fast forward to today, he is now a household name in the UAE. Just about everybody in the region knows him well as the multi-billion dollar businessman and developer of health-care facilities in the UAE and Asia-Pacific region. He is the chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare, a conglomerate in the Middle East and India that Moopen founded in December 1987, just ten months after arriving in the UAE to raise funds for a mosque.
According to a report published in September 2018, he owned and managed 21 hospitals, 113 clinics and 216 pharmacies. The health-care company serves 50,000 patients a day in nine countries. In 2018, Aster treated 17 million patients across all its facilities. Of this these, 15 million patients were from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, while two million were from India.
In 2017, Forbes ranked him sixth on the ‘Top 100 Indian Leaders in UAE’ list and his total wealth was estimated at approximately $5.9 billion (Dh21.7 billion).
How it all started
“When I finished collecting money for the mosque reconstruction, my job was over in the UAE. It was time to return home, but when I went home, I was not happy. There was something pulling me back to this country as there was magic here,” said Moopen. “In June (1987), I came back on a visit to the UAE. I stayed with a friend in Ajman who was a doctor as well. There were plenty of opportunities for a doctor like me and I was raring to tap into some of them.”
Azad Moopen receives a Lifetime Achievement Award / Image Credit: Supplied
Moopen’s friend was setting up a clinic in Ajman and he invited him to join there as a physician. Back in the day, there were no post-graduate doctors practising in Ajman and Moopen, who was a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) and a Doctor of Medicine, with a a Diploma in treating Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (DTCD), was already highly qualified. In fact, his varied degrees made him quite a sought-after doctor in Ajman.
“But my friend bowled me a googlie, as we say in cricketing terms! He turned around one day and told me to start a clinic in Dubai. To be honest, I thought he did not like me and that’s why he was pushing me away to Dubai. But I took his advice and today, I believe he is my guardian angel. That moment, when I heeded his advise and came to Dubai, it was the turning point in my life. I know now he was a friend, he was a God-sent and he is ‘the person’ in my life.”
No matter how successful you become in life, you never forget the people who helped you along the way. And this, to me, has been the biggest reason for my success.
– Azad Moopen
In December 1987, Moopen leased a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai close to the Port Rashid area. “Port Rashid was one of the main areas in Dubai where there were many ongoing activities. A lot of people worked here and I wanted to serve them.”
He said the consultation charges were between Dh10 and 15. Some people got reimbursement from their companies while others paid the bills from their pocket.
“The challenge, however, was collecting money from some blue collared workers who could not afford to pay even this amount. So every Tuesday we started offering free consultations for half a day. We also kept sample medicines which we gave to these workers.”
Within a year, the clinic started receiving 100 patients a day. There were just two doctors – Moopen and a gynaecologist.
Dr. Azad Moopen receiving an award from late Indian President APJ Kalam / Image Credit: Supplied
“I myself worked from 8 in the morning until mid-night. But it was becoming very congested and we needed to move to a bigger place,” he said. “I found a three-bedroom apartment in Al Rafa and we moved there. We hired two more doctors – both paediatricians. We were able to see more patients as a result.”
By that time in 1988, Moopen was getting a hang of running a health-care facility. “One of the things we discovered early on was that people came to us for consultation, but were picking up medicines from another pharmacy. So, we thought why not make this in-house? And that is how Al Rafa Pharmacy was born.”
Moopen said that in 2008, he had his real brush with success. “Until then, I was just doing my job of opening clinics, hospitals and pharmacies. I was not really counting or sitting down to see and evaluate the success of my business. In 2008, as part of our expansion plans, we invited a private equity firm to invest with us. They valued our company at $100 million and that reality hit me. We had grown and how! It was an emotional moment for me, reading the valuation report and made me think of how hard the company staff and me had worked to bring it that far,” he said.
Dr. Azad Moopen with his youngest daughter Zeba Moopen who is now a practicing doctor / Image Credit: Supplied
In 2012, a second private equity firm came on board and they valued Aster DM Healthcare at $400 million. “This means we had grown four times in four years. It was massive.”
Today, Aster DM is listed at the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the company’s total revenue in 2019 was fixed at a massive $1.4 billion.
Reason behind this phenomenal success
“Without batting an eyelid I will say that it is my staff, my people, my doctors who have made this company successful. I am blessed and lucky to have these people working for me for decades. Our doctor turnover at the consultant level is as low as five per cent. This means our doctors practically never leave us. And, because of this, our patients never leave us.
Azad Moopen with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during the latter’s book launch. / Image Credit: Supplied
“No matter how successful you become in life, you never forget the people who helped you along the way. And this, to me, has been the biggest reason for my success. To give you an example, the other day, one of my CEOs brought me a staff member’s performance report. He wanted me to fire him as he was not performing well. When I saw the report I realised he was an old friend’s son. This friend, I remember, had loaned me Dh500 when I had come to the UAE for the first time.”
“As the memories flooded me, I simply refused to sign the sack letter. Instead, I called this young boy and his father and told them about the report. From my part, I have given this boy a second chance. I pray he will make use of the opportunity given to him.”
Challenges
Dr. Moopen during one of his philanthropic activities / Image Credit: Supplied
“There are always challenges in business. If you want your career graph to have a smooth ride, then you must not pick business as your profession. Success in business lies in finding your challenges and meeting them head-on,” said Moopen.
“For example, the UAE’s mandatory insurance has proved to be beneficial for the consumer, but for health-care providers like us, it is a challenge. People would come to us because of our credibility. Now, it has to do with the kind of insurance coverage they have.”
Philanthropy the way to life
Moopen has pledged to give 20 per cent of his wealth to charity. An off-shoot of this has been the ‘Aster Volunteers’ programme to help patients with free consultations, treatment and surgeries. More than 900,000 lives have been touched by the programme.
Dr. Moopen with his family in an earlier picture / Image Credit: Supplied
In 2010 and 2011, Moopen was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and Padma Shri, respectively, by the Government of India.
Dr. Azad Moopen awarded the coveted Padma Shri in 2011 / Image Credit: Supplied
“By God’s grace, I have everything in life. Name, fame, wealth, a great family. It is my duty and responsibility now to help others. When I started out, I was in the right place at the right time with the right people. I want others to be in my shoes. I am nearing retirement and my only dream now is to hand over my business to my team of professionals who, I believe, will do a better job than me.”
