Saudi-based businessman gets Indian honour

Dr Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of Eram Group, has been conferred the 2021 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA).

India’s President confers the award on the occasion of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conventions, which are held annually since 2003.

Dr Ahmed, who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala, built the Eram Group over the past 25 years. The conglomerate has interests in diverse sectors including oil and gas, power, construction, manufacturing, travel, healthcare, information technology, media, logistics, automotive and training & education.

In 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had bestowed on Dr. Ahmed the Toilet Titan award at the Safaigiri Summit as a recognition of Eram Group’s work ethic and the dedication of its over 8,000 employees from 20 countries.

Dr Ahmed spoke exclusively to Khaleej Times from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. Excerpts from the interview:

What are your first thoughts after winning the honour?

A mix of three emotions. Gratitude at being so acknowledged for this prestigious award. A sense of fulfilment that I have been so honoured by my country. And lastly, a satisfaction that my team and I did not toil in vain to do our little bit for our great nation. Humbled, yes, but also proud of everyone who followed their hearts and believed in our missions.

You’re conferred upon the Toilet Titan award at the Safaigiri Summit in 2015. How did you get involved in the project?

I was on vacation in Kerala in 2015, when a passing thought came to my mind. We live in a country where 600 million (m) of us defecate in the open. It struck me that the need of the hour was to construct inexpensive, affordable, and workable toilets. That is what we did and set about creating a blueprint. Things were difficult as we were foraying into a highly nascent, non-glamorous and neglected sector.

That still holds true, but we activated a company called Eram Scientific Solutions. We have made over 5,000 units so far. Our work on e-toilets, a self-clean concept, has been recognised globally.

How and when did you get associated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation heard about us in 2012 and our pioneering efforts to upgrade public sanitation with our expertise and technology. This is one of the most prestigious associations conferred on us along with the ‘Reinvent the Toilet Challenge’ Award, a title of which I am incredibly proud of.

Please elaborate on your eToilet project.

Our project has not only changed the paradigm where public hygiene is concerned but brought dignity and privacy into the equation, eliminating to a great extent the embarrassment of being in the open where it was an exploitative situation especially for women and young girls. The e-toilet has features like pre-flushing, automatic flushing and platform cleaning, inbuilt water tanks, sensors for water and power conservation and to top that with remote monitoring capability. The manual element has drastically been reduced and this has been our major achievement.

You have joined Dr. Zulekha Daud, Surender Singh Kandhari and Girish Pant, who have been past awardees from the region.

Clearly, I’m in exceptionally good company and humbled to be included. Eminent people sit on the jury. The yardstick is largely to measure not just a specific success but a body of work over a period of time and the impact it has had on public welfare. It is not just about being a tycoon or an entrepreneur who has made it big but what an individual and his team have brought to the table and collectively been a game-changer. PM Modi has widened the window so to speak and given that extra dimension that anything which helps the people and percolates to the lowest levels of society is eligible for recognition and support.

As a successful NRI, who made India proud in the Middle East, what are your thoughts about the diaspora in a post-Covid-19 world?

2020 was a tough year. One can only hope that the future will be brighter. The multiple vaccines are a convincing defence and I believe the beginning of the end of the pandemic can be seen. India’s 38 million strong diaspora will persevere, and this terrible affliction will only make us stronger and more determined to make a better social fabric.

• Saudi Arabia