NRI of the Year Awards: Four UAE-based Indians bag top titles

Four UAE-based expatriate Indian nationals have bagged the top titles at the 2018 NRI of the Year Awards, fighting off more than 11,500 global nominees.

Dubbed as heroes who have made their mark on foreign shores, Amiteash Paul, Jogiraj Sikidar, Vardaraj Shetty, and Prasanth Manghat live true to the phrase 'make India proud', and have been recognised for their significant contributions in keeping their Indian heritage alive, despite living away from home.

Now in its fifth year, the NRI of the Year Awards, presented by Times Now, ICICI Bank and Global Indian International School, has so far awarded 15 Indian expatriates living in the UAE, with this year's accolades adding four more winning titles to the list, taking that number to 19.

A total of 22 NRIs were crowned for the 2018 edition Award. Of the five winners based in the Middle East, four of which are living in the UAE. Here, Khaleej Times speaks to the winners.
Name: Amiteash Paul
Category: Academics (The Indian High School, Dubai)

Born and raised in Dubai, Indian High School student Amiteash Paul is one of many who proudly call both Dubai and India home.

Though he has been recognised for his academic excellence before, including bagging the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Academic Performance in 2015/16, he said he was humbled by this latest award.


"It is life-changing for me and means a great deal as it recognises my committment towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals for a zero-waste society by 2030. It is a privilege to be appreciated for my efforts at this global level," he told Khaleej Times.

Working as a Brand Ambassador of the Bond Interiors LLC in the UAE, Paul helped establish colour-coded waste segregation recycling bins in their factories, offices and labour camps in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. And it was that hearty effort at helping save the environment which saw him win the NRI of the Year Award.

"I believe the jury was impressed by my efforts to educate and inculcate the habit of recycling waste among the blue-collar workers in the UAE with a simplified system of colour-coded waste recycling bins. I also believe, the jury saw this as an effort towards a Clean India, as the blue-collar migrant population comprises mostly of Indians. The idea is that when they return home to India, they can similarly educate their families and the community."

As someone who is "ardent about protecting the environment", Paul is constantly working towards building a sustainable future.

"I live by Nelson Mandela's words: "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."
Name: Jogiraj Sikidar
Category: Arts and Culture (Malhaar Centre for Performing Arts)

Music has always been a part of Jogiraj Sikidar's life. It's in his blood.

Classically trained from the age of four, he said to be recognised for his contribution towards Arts and Culture was a dream come true.

"I feel honoured. This is a very special award especially since this is a recognition from my home country, even though the work that I am doing is beyond the Indian shorelines. This award encourages me to dream bigger."
After receiving the call of his win about a month ago, he said he was pleasantly surprised, but actually, he forgot the nomination was even put forward.

"My friends nominated me - but six or seven months past and to be honest, I didn't think I had a chance. There were 11,500 nominees in all, and the past winners were so distinguished, so I was just honoured to be nominated. The win was a bonus."

Past UAE-based winners Season 3        Name Mohit Malhotra - Professional     Joji Mathew - Entrepreneur           Season 4        Name  Birbal Dana - Entrepreneur     Abhinav Singla - Academics     Simran Vedyas - Academics     Ronald Colaco - Philanthropy

With Indian classical music and art very close to his heart, he said to get that recognition is "very special".

At Malhaar, we present Indian classical art in a broadened way. When I  moved to Dubai, Bollywood was big, classical was not. But that's what drives Indian culture. In the Middle East there was not much happening in that field when I moved here 12 years ago so my goal was to make it happen. And here we are. It is humbling."
Name: Vardaraj Shetty
Category: Entrepreneur (Ramee Group of Hotels and Resorts)

Landing in the UAE 40 years, Vardaraj Shetty comes from very humble beginnings.

Growing up in a small village in Kundapura, Karnataka, he has built a successful business in the hospitality sector in the Middle East and India.

Speaking about his win, he said he received the news via phone about 10 days before the Awarding Ceremony.

"I was just in my office in Dubai. I didn't even know I was nominated so I didn't quite believe it. I had to get my secretary to call them back to clarify the details."

Although he has been on the receiving end of a host of awards throughout his 40 years in business, this is one of the more touching ones that he has been recognised for.

"The award is one thing but it makes you remember we are all children of god."
Aside from his business dealings, Shetty runs a host of CSR initiatives back in India, including the running of a school and government college near his home village. After realising there was a lack of buildings and resources available for students, he made it his mission to give back to the community which helped him grow.

"We support 1,200 students and give them help with tuition fees, books, we counsel them, and talk about education and awareness. We keep on monitoring them too. It doesn't just stop at building or supporting a school. That's my passion. I can't say what made me win this award, but maybe that is a reason."
Name: Prasanth Manghat
Category: Professional (NMC Health)

When asked to reveal a unique attribute about himself, Prasanth Manghat, CEO and Executive Director, NMC Health Plc did not hesitate to answer.

"Blessed with intuitive decision making, I am always on the move and I love to decode the human mind and constantly try to decipher the connected human behaviour."

And it's that USP which has got him to where he is today; celebrated CEO and an NRI of the Year award winner

Working in the UAE for 14 years, Manghat has worked alongside Dr BR Shetty (founder of NMC Healthcare), from day one.

Being crowned the winner of the 'Professional' category, he said it was a "vindication of the values that I cherish and practice".

Noting why he thinks he reigned victorious over the thousands of other global nominees, Manghat said it was hard to pin point.

"I am sure that the jury would have fathomed the candidature via a prism of professional and personal accomplishments, and also via the contributions made to the communities and environment at large. It must surely be as much in the impact that one has made as in the promise that one holds to bring to a larger audience in a greater geography."

Although his nominators for this most recent award remains a mystery, this isn't the first time he has been awarded for his efforts towards promoting Indian business overseas.

Earlier this year he was listed in the Forbes Top 50 Indian Executives in the Arab World; and in 2017 he was noted as the 50 most powerful Indians in Middle East by Arabian Business, to name but a few.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai
• India

Kelly Clarke

kelly@khaleejtimes.com