Date of joining: March 20, 1968; End of service: Dec 14, 2015

A.A. Salam at his office in Abu Dhabi.

An Indian expat, who set foot in the UAE three years before the country was born, is leaving his second home for good after a career that spanned nearly half-a-century in the same company.
The Guinness World Record for an individual working for the longest period in the same company was set by American Thomas Stoddard, who had worked for 80 years in a manufacturing firm.
A.A. Salam, 74, thinks his 48 years of service with Omeir Travel Agency in Abu Dhabi could be the longest career of any UAE resident in one company.
Unlike many other early migrants to the UAE, Salam was a science graduate from Farook College in Kerala. He worked for four years in the postal and health departments in Bombay before leaving for the then Trucial States on January 2, 1968.
"A friend of mine helped me get a visa from this company. Since I had the visa, I was not among the hundreds of expats of those days who reached here in illegal boats," Salam told Khaleej Times.
He set sail from Bombay to Dubai in a ship named Dumra. "It took us 10 days to reach Dubai. The ship was anchored offshore and we were taken in a barge to the shore."
The next day, he reached Abu Dhabi in a pickup van.
"When I joined here, we were only 17 people in the company. We used to handle the ground operations of the small airport in Abu Dhabi till they were taken over by Abu Dhabi Airport Services in 1976."
"There were only three or four travel agencies and four banks. Now there are hundreds of them. My company itself has 56 branches and around 700 employees now," Salam added.
Starting off his career here as a cashier with 70 Bahrain dinars as salary, Salam soon climbed the ladder and became the personnel manager of the company. He has been holding the same position for the past 38 years.
"My office was in one of the four four-storey buildings in the capital. Our houses were made of bricks. Twenty Bahrain dinars was the rent for a room. We had no air conditioner. There was no continuous power supply and we used to get tap water only in the morning."
"When I was a cashier, I had to go to Al Ain for bringing the monthly collection in our office there. There was no road connectivity and I remember we used to fly in a small aircraft to Al Ain."
"It was only a year after I reached, the asphalted road came. Only the top-most officials and shaikhs had cars."
"There were no markets or hotels. A couple of messes used to provide food. Those who did not have jobs could eat from there and pay the money only after getting a job. The two tailoring shops and the grocery stores that came up later used to give us stuff on credit when we used to go home on vacation. We could pay them only after we return."
In 1969, Salam brought his wife to the UAE.
"Both my sons were born here. There were very few Indian families at that time. Those who were there knew each other very well."
His elder son, an ophthalmologist, moved back to Kerala four years back while the younger one, a marketing professional, relocated to Canada three years ago.
Salam is now living with his second wife, whom he married in 2007 after his first wife died of a prolonged disease in 2006.
Voluntary retirement
Employed with the same company for 48 years, doing the same job for 38 years and working in the same office building for 26 years, did Salam ever get bored and want to look for another job?
"No. I never wanted to look for some other job. This company gave me a good position. I was the only Indian in such a good post at that time in Abu Dhabi. It was when I became 60 that the government extended the retirement age. When I turned 65, the company continued to sponsor me by paying an additional fee."
He said he has given back to the company through his hard work and dedication all these years.
"I don't waste time on mobile phones or computer like the young generation. I have worked hard for the company and have helped many here to get their jobs," Salam said with a smile of satisfaction.
He said it was his decision to retire voluntarily and leave for good even as his employers are requesting him to stay back.
The management that allowed Salam to work one hour less than others after he became old, has arranged an unconventional farewell ceremony for their senior most employee, said Salam who is leaving for India on December 14.
He said he is extremely thankful to the management that has supported him all these years. "But it is time for me to go back and rest for the rest of my life," said Salam, who wishes to do social work in Kerala.
sajila@khaleejtimes.com
Do you know anyone who can beat Salam's record of 48 years in the same company in the UAE? If yes, please let us know at reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE