Chance meeting with an Arab
In 1976, I met this gentleman -- Brig Gen Suleiman Al Adawy -- in a hotel lobby in Kochi, quite accidentally. He had come to Kochi to buy a fishing boat. I had gone to the hotel for some other work. We happened to talk to each other, and after that, he said, ‘Ours is a new country. There are a lot of opportunities. Why don’t you come over to my place? We will do something together.’
Till then, I had not even heard of a place called Sultanate of Oman. (I went back home, took an atlas and located the place!)
In Oman, with Rs 50 in hand
I decided to accept his invitation. I took my passport and within two months, I was ready to fly to the Sultanate of Oman. I had only Rs 50 in my hand as, at that time, you were permitted to take only that much money with you.
But I was excited. There was no fear of uncertainty in my mind. I had always been sure of myself. I knew I would be able to do something there. I don’t know whether it is the right attitude, but I had that confidence in me. I may sound arrogant but I was confident because I had no role model.
Image: Interior of a palace built by Sobha Developers in Oman.
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