During Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, he addressed a gathering of about 200 businessmen in a hotel. Indian Businessmen and Professionals Group (IBPG) chairman B R Shetty, one of the organisers of the event, had a kind word for fellow businessman M A Yusuff Ali.
Shetty said that Yusuff Ali was numero uno in Abu Dhabi and could get anything done in the emirate. The audience received the remarks with an ovation.
These were no hollow words, visitors to Abu Dhabi have found out. A few years ago, a senior television journalist from Kerala went to the emirate and decided to record some visuals of the city at nighttime. Perhaps unaware of the strict rules of the emirate, he even shot the surroundings of the police headquarters. He was whisked away. He would have remained in custody in some obscure police station had it not been for the intervention of Yusuff Ali.
Yusuff Ali is a pious man. He starts his day with namaz. He is a generous contributor to all religious institutions including Christian churches and Hindu temples. He has even received the supreme honour from the Orthodox Church in Kerala.
He stands for secularism. A prayer is a personal communication with god. The others have no business in it, Yusuff Ali would say.
Yusuff Ali said he had withstood trials with god's help. He was on the way to Jordan a few years ago on a ship laden with cargo including perishable food including meat. Those were the times of the Iraq war and the port was closed. The businessman stared at a crisis. His plans would be upset if he could not sell the produce immediately. He stayed put for 21 days until the port opened. He went straight to Mecca to pray to god.
(Watch this space for more on Yusuff Ali.)
