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Dr. P A Ibrahim Haji to receive Hon. D.Litt. from USTM
9th Mile, RiBhoi, 7
February, 2019: Dr P A Ibrahim Haji, an achiever who has
dedicated his life to uplift the society, will be receiving
the Degree of Hon. D.Litt. from the University of Science &
Technology, Meghalaya on 11 February, 2019. The Degree will
be conferred at the Central Auditorium of USTM by
ShriTathagata Roy, Hon’ble Governor of Meghalaya and
Visitor, USTM in the presence of Shri Lakhmen Rymbui,
Minister of Education, Meghalaya; Mr Mahbubul Hoque,
Chancellor, USTM; Dr P K Goswami, Vice Chancellor, USTM,
apart from others.
The life of Dr. P A. Ibrahim is a saga of determination,
trust and sacrifice. He had a dream and the path to that
dream was never easy, but hard and full of obstacles; yet he
worked "with heart within and God over head", never
succumbing to difficulties. The fort-like personality of Dr.
P A Ibrahim Haji has made its unique impact on a variety of
business fields, in the founding of various educational
institutions and the different charitable moves he has
initiated. The business empire that he has built ranges in
India and abroad and is just one part of his achievements.
He could achieve all this because of a deep understanding of
the values in life, an urge and willingness to serve
humanity and above all a great desire for growth and
development.
Dr. PA Ibrahim Haji hails from Pallikere, a village in
Kasargod, Kerala's border district with Karnataka best known
for Bekal Fort, the biggest in the state. His parents are
late Mr. PA Abdulla Haji and Aiyashabi. He had his early
education in Government Mapplia L.P. School and Kottikulam
Government Fishery High School. He had his college education
in Mangalore Govt. Arts College in Karnataka and from
Chennai he secured a Diploma in Automobile Engineering.
Central Minister for Power, the late P.M. Sayeed and ex-
Central Minister for Law Veerappa Moily were his college
mates during his studies at Mangalore Govt. Arts College.
In 1964, Dr P A Ibrahim Haji joined South India Automobile
in Chennai where Ibrahim Haji fondly remembers, he imbibed
the great lesson of punctuality. He shifted from Madras to
Mumbai to work in Kishen and later in Sam Automobiles. Being
the eldest son in the family, he spent his meager income to
support his five brothers and one sister. But he had great
dreams. They made him venture into Dubai and serve in many
automobile companies. His expertise in the use of English
language has earned great respect for him; all the more so
because it was not the result of any formal training, but
gained through reading and practice. In 1971, he shifted to
Muscat. The nine years of service in various business
organizations in India, Dubai and Muscat have prepared him
to start a business of his own, which he did in Dubai in
1974. He started a garment retail business on 6th December
1974. It was the beginning of a spectacular success in
business with the turnover crises crossing into millions.
Ibrahim Haji is the founder and Vice-Chairman of Indus
Motors Company in India; he is chairman of the UAE-based
Century International Travels; he is Co-chairman and key
investor of Malabar Gold; he is chairman of P A Engineering
Collage, P A First Grade College, PA Pre-University College,
PA Polytechnic (Mangalore), Gulf Asian English School (Sharjah),
India International School (Kuwait), Managing Director of
AL-Shamali Group in Garments and Textiles.
With the support of many who trusted him and whom he
trusted, he moved from one successful business to another,
exploring further and further into new fields. But he never
lost sight of the basic values of life. He believed that he
had to share his achievements with his fellow human beings.
He believed in the power of education leading to employment
and hence his commendable contributions in the field of
education. His social commitment is borne out in the many
philanthropic enterprises he has initiated and actively
engaged in. Dr P A Ibrahim's life is not exactly a story of
"rags to riches"; but he has encountered hurdles in life and
met challenges with courage and determination and built a
business empire. His best investment he claims is in
education "which combines with morality and ethics" and he
gets maximum satisfaction when he meets graduates from
institutions gainfully employed in different walks of life. |
