Wanted more and more Muslim entrepreneurs
Azim Premji
Muslim community of North India can learn a lesson or two of doing business from their Muslim brethrens of Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. You would have a tough time to find really a big Muslim entrepreneur in Delhi or any North Indian city. And once you move to Mumbai or Bengaluru or even Hyderabad, you would find several big companies run by Muslims
The once bustling office of Shama publications in capital's Asaf Ali Road reminds of salad days when the influential Punjabi Muslim Dehalvi family used to publish several magazines, including Shama and Sushma. Alas, it has been long time when the office of Shama publications was shut. And from Asaf Ali Road, the most important business centre of the capital- Connaught Place is not far away. Here another Punjabi Muslim family owned iconic Marina Hotel is renamed as Radisson Blu Marina Hotel. The property is run by another family. While it is thriving thick and fast, the owners are contented with rent only. What a pity. One needs an answer as to why the owners don't run it on their own?
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Well, these two examples prove a point conclusively that Muslim community of North India can learn a lesson or two of doing business from their Muslim brethrens of Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. You would have a tough time to find really a big Muslim entrepreneur in Delhi or any North Indian city.
And once you move to Mumbai or Bengaluru or even Hyderabad, you would find several big companies run by Muslims. Take the example of pharmaceutical company Wockhardt. It is owned by the Dawoodi Bohra Habil Khorakiwala.
Former FICCI president Habil Khorakiwala runs a billion-dollar firm that makes generic drugs. The Khorakiwalas also founded the first departmental stores in India, Akbarally's. And if you talk about Khorakiwalas, can you ignore another Gujarati Kutchchi Muslim who owns Cipla pharmaceuticals? It was founded by Khwaja Abdul Hamied, who got his doctorate from Berlin University in 1927. The company is run today by his son Yusuf Hamied, who holds a doctorate from Cambridge University. Even Gandhi ji had visited their Andheri factory in 1940s.
And monarch among the Muslim entrepreneur is media shy Azim Premji. Indian tech magnate Azim Premji Wipro is among India's largest software services providers. Wipro has an innovation center in Silicon Valley, which is focused on developing new technologies and collaborating with startups. In July 2019, Premji's son Rishad, succeeded his father as Wipro's executive chairman. Well, all these gentlemen are based in Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Says Jamil Ahmed, ex- Income Tax commissioner- " It is a matter of deep introspection that when Muslims from states like Maharashtra, Guajrat, Kerala and Andhra are making their presence felt in business world in a big way, why Muslims from North Indian states are still not trying their luck in entrepreneurship."
Even the growth of Delhi-based Hamdard group is also abysmal to say the least. Makers of divine Roof Afza, Hamdard group has not innovated with the passage of time. Hakim Abdul Hameed was the life and soul of the group. He was the man who single-handily built the Hamdard University. Post his demise in 1999, protracted dispute among his kids have hampered the growth of once prestigious Hamdard. Hamdard's in heart of the capital looks pathetic. Abdul Hameed's brother migrated to Pakistan, and he was killed in Karachi in 1998.
In this age of 'start-ups', when youngsters from all castes and states are trying their hand in business, Muslims are also not legging behind. A top official of Union Bank says that they (Muslims) are also taking loans to start business. "The heart warming fact is that many of them are doing well too," the bank official informs, who does not want to be identified.
It is also said that the young and budding Muslims of North India also face hardship in starting their own venture is that they have no role model from their community in business world. Yes, Muslims are becoming Charted Accountants to Cost Accountants and from CEOs to Civil Servants. But, they are still little reluctant starters to become entrepreneurs. Do North Indian Muslims are not open to taking risks that is required to do business? Therefore, they prefer to do jobs. Perhaps, it is true.
Meanwhile, Muslims are 14 per cent of India's population, yet their representation in the corporate sector is way below that. According to the Sachar Committee, appointed in 2005 to study the condition of the Muslims, the community's representation in the elite Indian Administrative Service was 3 per cent, and in the Railways, the country's largest employer, 4.5 per cent. The situation in the corporate sector, where the whims and fancies of the promoters and senior executives often come into play, is unlikely to be any better.
It goes without saying that no community can thrive unless it tries their luck in business and entrepreneurship. The era of doing job is over. Now jobs are there for very qualified youngsters. Same way, you have to be well-qualified to be a successful entrepreneur. The message is clear: You can touch the dizzy heights in business if you are qualified and tech savvy. Further, you are ready to evolve all the time. If you are ready for that, then sky is limit for you. Deepinder Goyal, the son of two teachers who founded Zomato in 2008, is Computer Science graduate from IIT, Delhi, and Bhavish Agrawal, founder of Ola, has completed a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. You too can become like them if you are well-qualified and fire in your belly to create a niche for yourself. Last but not least, this is also an age of first generation entrepreneurs.
(The author is Delhi-based senior journalist and writer. He is author of Gandhi's Delhi which has brought to the forth many hidden facts about Mahatma Gandhi)