The softly-spoken businessman was ranked 35th on the recent Arabian Business 50 Richest Indians in the GCC list, with an estimated wealth of $475m. This is a far cry from having to leave school at the age of 11 because his parents could not afford the fees and living in a cramped Mumbai bedroom with his eight siblings. Fast forward to Dubai and his retail firm is one of the biggest names in the industry. He has spent about $1m bailing out thousands of Indian debtors from UAE prisons, in what he says is his way of paying back his home country.