Dr. Ahmad Hussain Gazi
Dr. Ahmad Hussain Gazi
‘service before self ’
-J.Vijai Anand
Dr. Ahmad Hussain Gazi, was born in 1943 in Srinagar, Kashmir. Motivated from a young age to improve the lives of people around him, he attended Osmania University in Hyderabad to train as a Dental Surgeon. Upon graduating, he served in the Jammu and Kashmir State Health Department.
Always looking at the greater good and the bigger picture, he took upon leadership roles in administration and served as the Secretary General of state branch of Indian Dental Association. He strove to serve the community as well he dignity of the profession and was instrumental in equalizing the grades of Dental Surgeons with Medical Doctors in the state of J& K.
He then pursued his Masters and specialization in Endodontics at Kasturbha Medical College, Manipal. Thereafter, he joined the teaching staff and taught students for several years, sharing his skills and knowledge.
The next destination on his journey was a foreign assignment to Iran where he served almost a decade. He then moved to Saudi Arabia as a Dental Specialist and worked in Buraida, Al-Qassim in the Ministry of Health (MOH). There was no school there for children of foreigners and Indian expatriates had to face a lot of problems by leaving their children back home in India. With the help of the MOH and Indian Embassy in Riyadh, he formulated a team that established an Indian community School in Buraida, and remained involved for the progress and expansion of the school.
He then moved to Kuwait in 1994. Since being here, he has continued to work for the community as well as his profession. He joined the Indian Muslim welfare Association and contributed to its social activities. He spearheaded IMWA was a pioneer in conducting health Awareness and Oral Health Seminars and issuing Health Guides for the community.
He remained associated with IMWA as its Secretary and then President for many years. Through this organization he helped serve the community at large in Kuwait by the organization of several different events and pursuits such financial aid to the poor, iftar to Sayem, Daawa activities, the Abdullah Dalawi Ramadan Competition (named in honour of the memory of his dear friend) and others.
IMWA was also responsible for the first lecture series conducted by Dr. Zakir Nayak in Kuwait and thus served as a platform to help introduce this rising talent to the international audience.
He was one of the founder members of the Federation of Indian Muslim Associations (FIMA), which served the need for an umbrella organization for various Muslim organizations working in Kuwait. He helped establish its constitution and then remained President of the organization for 5 years. During his tenure FIMA was instrumental in community service at every level, both in Kuwait but also abroad such as in 2001 when FIMA contributed funds through NGOs for the rehabilitation of earthquake victims of Gujarat.
He has remained closely associated with the Indian Embassy in Kuwait for last 15 years. As president of FIMA he was in the forefront of voicing the concerns of the expatriate community to the Dignitaries of India visiting Kuwait by submitting memorandums while welcoming and honoring them during their visits. These issues included ones like the hike in Airport tax, which was reduced through the efforts of FIMA, along with many others.
During the Iraq war he was selected as warden of the Salmiya area. He served as a liaison with the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, connecting the people of Kuwait and the expatriate community. He conducted a Seminar on Safety measures against Chemical warfare in Kuwait. He was listed with the Kuwaiti Civil Defense committee during the Iraq invasion as one of the volunteers from FIMA.
Dr Gazi has striven to extend a helping hand to all those in need, both in Kuwait and back home. As it is said, charity begins at home, and given the situation in Kashmir, he has also worked tirelessly for this community.
To achieve these common goals, he has worked to organize and bring together the Kashmiri community living in Kuwait, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion, so that they may act as one on issues that matter most. He has organized sponsorship programs for orphans in Kashmir through NGOs in the region thus providing an avenue for those interested in helping the less fortunate a means to also lend a helping hand. In the recent past a number of Kashmiri youth were sequentially stranded in Kuwait due to problems with the recruiting agencies.
Dr Gazi, with the help of Indian Embassy and the support of the local established Kashmiri community was able to help each of these individuals. For some this meant providing them tickets to go back home using the help of the Indian Embassy and for some it meant assisting them in finding jobs in Kuwait.
The overarching principle of how Dr. Gazi has worked for his community has been that of the often-proclaimed ‘service before self’. Throughout his life he has worked tirelessly with various organizations and lead the way where leadership required with the goal of improving the lives of those around him. It is in this spirit of betterment that he has lead by example in his professional life and in the realms of social work, through both of which, the people around him have benefited from his presence. After all, this the highest honour one can ask for in life.
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