Dubai is a land of opportunities: Anis Sajan

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Dubai is a land of opportunities: Anis Sajan

Dubai - "Dubai did not make me feel like I was away from home but in a "refined" Mumbai.

By Roobkirat Kaur


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Published: Tue 15 Aug 2017, 3:38 PM

Danube Group was founded in the year 1993. Starting off as a small trading firm, the company has moved from strength-to-strength, expanding its foothold in the region to be counted among the top building materials companies, along with other branches under its vast umbrella. A major part of the success that the organisation has achieved can be attributed to Anis Sajan and his brother, Rizwan Sajan, who are respectively the managing director and the chairman of the organisation.
Anis takes care of the company's Milano brand; the name 'Milano' being inspired by the fashion capital of the world, Milan. The brand encompasses home hardware products, electrical products, sanitary ware, water purifiers and many more. Anis is refreshingly candid about the story behind the humble beginnings of his company and its growth. The man behind the brand is enigmatic and quick-witted, but he's also grounded. Maybe that's what one really needs if one needs to soar.
"Dubai did not make me feel like I was away from home but in a "refined" Mumbai.
I moved here to help my brother set up Danube Group at a salary of Dh1, 500. I spent a major chunk of my first salary buying a suit from Raymond for my brother and a salwar suit for my sister-in-law from Bur Dubai.
"I was a door-to-door salesman in Mumbai with Eureka Forbes and then made my way to the UAE. I started with setting up the sanitary division at Danube Group. I began to gauge the market conditions to see what was available in the sanitary division. I made trips to stores in old Deira to see the variations of goods available and then decided on setting up my own enterprise."
Anis believes his life showcases the opportunities Dubai offers and through the limited time we spent with him, we know his journey is a glowing tribute to what human ingenuity, leadership, vision and determination can achieve.
The terrible Iraq-Kuwait war was an opportunity-in-disguise for the Sajans to start an organisation in Dubai. Anis Sajan's experience working as a salesman taught him to understand the human psyche and their thought process. On his numerous trips to Europe, he discovered that people using toilets in European nations were using only tissue paper. This inspired him to develop the travel 'shattaf' - or also commonly known in India as the jet spray or the Muslim shower in Pakistan. The shattaf became a success for Danube and laid the foundation for further development and expansion of the company.
The shattaf was the first of many products to be developed for Danube. The organisation's success speaks for itself. Anis is a staunch believer in not just working hard but also enjoying a good work/life balance. There are two passions in his life apart from his work. The first being his undying love for the game of cricket, which is so strong, that it has led him to own three cricket teams- Danube Lions, Danube Tigers and the recently bought Sagittarius Strikers. All the players are employees of Danube and have won numerous trophies for the company; displayed in his glass cupboard, shining bright and standing tall. Anis is also a self-confessed Bollywood fanatic. His favourite actors are Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Anis is a man of many facets and is an example of a leader who can inspire people to dream big, embrace uncertainty and work passionately. He is known for his business acumen and spontaneity. His motto, "learn from your failures and never give up. Dubai is a land of opportunities and it's important to grab any and all because if you won't, someone else will."

A day in Anis' life

. I wake up at 7am in the morning and begin my day with half and half for yoga, pranayam followed by meditation.
. For breakfast, I prefer south Indian food like dosa, idli and Medu Wada and a cup of tea followed by mango milk shake.
. I then leave for office around 10am and finish work by 6.30pm.
. For lunch, I go for one vegetable, dal, chapati, rice and one non-veg dish, preferably mutton.
. Dinner, if at home, is usually dal and rice and lassi. I go to bed by 11pm as I don't like late nights.
. My favourite joint for eating out is either Delhi Darbar or Jaffer Bhai whose food has been my favourite for the last 25 years.
. I love to wear smart and trendy clothes and get it from designer shops like Aara and a designers from India like Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi.
. I like comedy shows and watch Comedy Nights with Kapil and Comedy Circus.
. I am a total Bollywood buff and watch all Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachhan movies and go either to Mall of Emirates or Ibn Battuta as that's closer to my house.
My favourite movie is Don and Deewar of yesteryears and SRK's recent hit Raees!
. Cricket is my passion and I follow the scores of every match played in a day atleast twice and as for playing, I go to Insports club once a week with my kids to unwind.
- roobkirat@khaleejtimes.com


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