Anis Sajan: The Shattaf Man—From Mumbai’s Chawls to Dubai’s Boardrooms

Within the glitzy skyline of Dubai, the place ambition towers as excessive because the buildings, Anis Sajan, Vice Chairman, Danube Group, has carved a reputation out for himself, not simply in enterprise, however throughout the Gulf’s cricket neighborhood, too. Often called the ‘Shattaf Man of Dubai’ for revolutionising sanitary fittings, Anis can also be referred to as ‘Mr Cricket UAE’ given his love of the sport. His journey from a chawl in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar space to the boardroom of one of many UAE’s largest conglomerates reads like a narrative ready to be written. Anis Sajan- Vice Chairman, Danube Group From Ghatkopar’s Gullys to glitzy GulfAnis, the youngest of three children and stuffed with mischief, tragedy struck when he misplaced his dad on the age of eight. “I didn’t absolutely grasp the idea of dying, however I knew one thing large was lacking,” he shares. His elder brother Rizwan, solely 16 again then, grew to become the person of the home, as their mum battled sickness. There was little room for consolation as pocket cash was a luxurious they couldn’t afford. “I bought Diwali lights for a revenue of ₹300. It gave me the expertise of gross sales,” Anis says. Anis Sajan (centre) along with his sons Azhar Sajan (left) and Sahil Sajan (proper) The hustle went on to form his future. After a stint in Kuwait, Anis labored in India at Eureka Forbes. “Knocking on doorways and listening to ‘no’ repeatedly constructed my resilience and confidence” he says. After the Gulf Conflict, Rizwan pushed him to offer Dubai one other attempt as Anis was reluctant to return after his expertise in Kuwait. After a heat welcome at Dubai Immigration when he was greeted by the officer with “Kaisa hai”, he headed to an Indian restaurant with Rizwan in Al Karama. Seeing Indians throughout made it really feel like Dubai was dwelling away from dwelling. Within the desert, Anis noticed a possibility. One pivotal second got here with the introduction of shattaf (jet sprays) within the UAE, because it was a fundamental necessity within the Arab and Asian cultures. Bayz, a 101-storey residential tower in Enterprise Bay, options 1,100 residence models, and its residents can take pleasure in beautiful views of the enduring Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Canal Each family in these nations ensures that the very first thing they set up is a shattaf. “The sight of tissues makes you are feeling constipated. And with this jet spray you can not go incorrect, as a result of it’s the necessity of each home for hygiene,” says Anis. What began with 300 models a month has now reached greater than 1,00,000 models monthly. This gave beginning to the model Milano, which is the guts of the Danube Group. Regardless of scaling large heights, Anis hasn’t forgotten the place all of it started. A go to to his chawl, now a high-rise, left him emotional: “The constructing has partitions, however my recollections are nonetheless caught within the previous lanes, the place I used to play cricket all day lengthy.” A Second Id: Mr Cricket UAEBusiness may be his occupation, however cricket is his heartbeat. His love for the sport started with the 1983 cricket World Cup, when India gained. And the fervour by no means light. Anis has owned two cricket franchises within the Abu Dhabi T10 League Delhi Bulls. He additionally employs 30 folks to solely play native cricket.   Former Australian Cricketer Shane Watson with Anis Sajan Anis seems as a sport analyst on TV, writes cricket columns and likewise helps grassroots skills throughout India and the UAE. However his proudest second? Introducing the Danube Check Collection and bringing the pink ball format to a area that’s obsessive about indoor cricket and quick codecs. “Check cricket is what separates the lads from the boys. It exams the temperament of an individual,” he says, including that it’s important in everybody’s life, be it work or sports activities. It gave younger cricketers within the UAE an opportunity to embrace the lengthy format and sealed his status as not solely a fan, but in addition a cricket visionary. Should you suppose Anis’ talks about cricket is simply that, his dwelling through the India vs Pakistan cricket matches appears like a mini stadium, full with meals, flags and fervour. “The India-Pakistan matches and the IPL aren’t simply cricket, they’re our fourth competition after Diwali, Holi and Eid, and as Mr Cricket UAE, it’s my responsibility to host it and dwell my ardour with my buddies,” he smiles. Anis Sajan with former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan By the sport, Anis has discovered a method to join with folks identical to he does along with his enterprise. Lately, every time an ICC event is hosted within the UAE, Anis purchases and distributes tickets among the many blue-collared folks for them to see their heroes play on the stadium. At 53, he has no plans of slowing down and his sons Azhar and Sahil are additionally a part of the Danube Group. Anis believes that his largest success as a guardian is seeing each his sons united and being accountable of their respective fields. Whereas his older son, Azhar, has ventured into luxurious dwelling options by beginning Casa Milano, his youthful one, Sahil, has adopted in his father’s footsteps and is dealing with Milano. They carry a contemporary vitality to the family-run empire. “It’s not nearly success, it’s about constructing one thing that lasts,” he says. Danube Oasiz is a up to date growth located in Dubai Silicon Oasis that gives trendy life-style From gully cricket to proudly owning cricket franchises within the Gulf, and from promoting Diwali lights in Mumbai to promoting jet sprays and lighting Dubai’s enterprise corridors — Anis’ story is one in every of objective, perseverance and pure ardour. Identical to a Check match, he’s in it for the lengthy haul.