S.M. HYDER ALI
S.M. HYDER ALI
"Non-Stop Journey to Success"
- by Ramani.VB & NCM
Looking at Mr.Hyder Ali's smiling and pleasant face, you would never guess the amount of obstacles and difficulties thrown in his path by life; the trials and sufferings that would have struck down most people, only strengthened his character, steeled his ambition and drove him to strive hard to achieve success. At the same time, the struggles of life made him kind, magnanimous and sensitive to the needs of others.
Hyder Ali hails from Muthupettai (Tiruvarur) in Tamil Nadu and was one of the five siblings who were required to work and earn for his daily bread at a very young age. “I even had to travel out of Tamil Nadu to Gujrat at the age of 14 for work!!!” recalls Hyder. He moved to different cities and undertook various jobs in small shops, bazars and platform stalls to earn a living.
In 1985, he sought his brother's help to travel to Qatar and started his foreign career with fisheries as his business. Driven by his hard work, the business prospered and he progressed in life. But, he never forgot the tough times he had as a young boy in earning his daily livelihood and was keen to help others in similar surroundings to come up in life. He introduced as many as 60 Indians into his field of business in Qatar and arranged for their visas.
After a few years, Mr.Hyder Ali went back to India, got married and settled down in India. But difficult times descended upon him once again and pushed him down to a low point in life. But you cannot keep a good man down for long!. "The only way to overcome hard luck is by hard work", says Hyder Ali. As his monthly salary was not enough, he took up small jobs during his leisure hours to earn additional income.
During this period, his astute mind spotted the good potential for cargo business to the Indian sector and he made the initial foray along with a few friends into this venture. However, success in the business eluded him.
Family commitments, pending loans, stagnating business etc pushed him to a distressed frame of mind, almost to end his life. "Moral support, love and warmth from my family and spiritual teachings from Holy Quran gave me mental strength to fight the bleak situation and to bring my life back on track", recounts Hyder Ali.
He knew that many persons have gone through such travails and have still emerged victoriously in the end. The life experiences of his role-models - Bhagyaraj, and V.G.Pannerdoss - have shown him that success lies at a depth not easily achieved. And. Hyder Ali was determined to persist in his efforts. "Obstacles don't have to stop you.
If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up; Figure out how to climb it; Drill through it; Work around it; or simply blast it away".
To meet his financial commitments, he sold the house in India, which was his only asset. In 2002, he left his job as a driver to reorganise his life in Kuwait He started cargo business on his own under the name TVS Cargo. He put his heart, soul and mind in developing the business. His passion for hard work and business acumen in persisting with cargo business started yielding excellent results soon. Later, he diversified his business to start TVS Travels in Kuwait.
By managing to turn the wheels of fortunes once again in his favour, Hyder Ali showed that the twists and turns of life need not deter one from pursuing their way to success. "The bend in the road is not the end of the road, if you have learnt how to take the turn".
The young boy, who set out to Gujarat at the age of 14 to earn his livelihood, is now managing a business empire spread over Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sri Lanka and six states in India and employs more than 700 people !!! He is now a well-known business man of international repute.
Just as the string of misfortunes and disappointments in life could never affect his motivation and character, the pinnacle of success too did not affect his humble and helpful nature. Perhaps that is why he is invariably liked and respected by all.
For Hyder Ali, neither the success nor the prosperity that came along with it, matters at all. He derives happiness by his charity work and feels that "Service to Man is Service to God".
He supports the Indian Labour community in Kuwait by rendering medical and financial help to stranded workers. He is involved in various activities to promote education for poor students; job opportunities for the deserving etc., A number of service organisations in Kuwait and India depend on his patronage to assist deserving people.
His deep-rooted religious faith is evident in the scale of his contribution to various Islamic organisations, especially for Iftar and other charities during the Holy month of Ramadan. As a deeply religious man, he firmly believes that everything belongs to The Almighty. "I am only an instrument of giving in the hands of God".
In order to render direct service to the poor and needy, Hyder Ali established "AL MAHA Educational Trust" at Muthupettai, his native place in India. The trust provides food and shelter to the poor. It also focuses on providing job-oriented education and training to needy people, especially women, for their upliftment and welfare. He has written a book titled "Sinthippom; Seyalpaduvom" in Tamil.
Hyder Ali spends nearly 30% of his net profit for charitable activities. The kindness and magnanimity of Hyder Ali has benefited a significant number of people in Kuwait and India. Hyder Ali maintains a modest and humble profile about his contribution for the welfare of others.
Dr.Abdul Kalaam, Mother Teresa and Kiran Bedi are three personalities who have inspired and influenced the character of Hyder Ali. Intelligence, humility, love and kindness for the poor, concern for the welfare of the society, adherence to truth and honesty, efficiency, strong spirit to face adversities of life and other such noble qualities are normally associated with these great personalities.
Deep streaks of such great qualities certainly have blended into the personality and character of Hyder Ali. Hence, it is no wonder that Hyder Ali himself has become a role-model for thousands of Indians who are in Kuwait to make their living. The way he faced the challenges of life and way he strove to achieve success certainly have pointers for others to follow.
He has recently started a Hyper market and a Jewelry shop in Al Maha Mega Mall at his native Muthupet. The mall is located in the prime location of the Muthupet town with widest choice of world-class brands at the fairest prices and also offers a whole world of shopping with a good selection of brands and product lines under one roof
Last February, European Continental University - Delware USA conferred him the doctorate award to Mr. Hyder Ali for his best business services. Also he was listed in the Forbes "100 Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World" for the year 2014.
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