'I came with Dh100, three pairs of clothes'

I came here with only Dh100 equivalent of Indian rupees and three pairs of clothes.

Aji E.P. Moosa
Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Fathima Group
I came here to assist my uncle, who had a grocery store in Abu Dhabi's commercial centre in Madinat Zayed Area. Before coming here, I was working at our family's restaurant in erstwhile Bombay.
I was 18 when I set sail with other 400 passengers on the famous passenger ship Dwarka in December, 1973. After a tiring voyage of seven days and nights, I arrived in Dubai, to begin a new life.
Dubai was a small trading and fishing town and there were a few buildings and roads. My uncle received me at the port and brought me here in Abu Dhabi, driving on a single lane, dusty Dubai-Abu Dhabi road.
I came here with only Dh100 equivalent of Indian rupees and three pairs of clothes.
I had a tough routine and worked without a day off. For four years, I worked as salesman, cashier and delivery man with my uncle. In 1977, I decided to open a grocery myself. From that single store, I managed to grow my business to 26 stores in the region now and a sincere workforce of 3,000 staff.
Dubai's pivotal position in the region as a business and trading hub is here to stay forever.

• Abu Dhabi