For many aspiring young people success is often defined by money and fame and they spend their lives working to achieve these goals. However, for a handful of people, success is defined by a different metric; they may not have a success story to narrate, fame to flout or wealth to bequeath, but they live a life of goodness and simplicity. A life of hard work, of loving and caring for their family, of helping their friends and giving to the community; a life of finding happiness and contentment in the day-to-day activities of their very ordinary lives. Often, the legacy such people leave behind is not one of fame or wealth, but the fond memories held in the hearts of people they interact with in life’s journey.
One such man who found contentment and happiness in leading an ordinary life is Ramesh Advani. As he prepares to leave Kuwait after spending nearly five decades in the country, he leaves behind a legacy of sharing and caring for others, which people who came to know and love him will remember for long.
The Times Kuwait had the opportunity recently to sit down for a conversation with Mr. Advani where he reminisced about his five decades leading an ordinary life in Kuwait.
Advani’s journey started with a trip to Kuwait in the 1968 when he decided to make a place for himself in this country. Equipped with a razor-sharp focus and energy, Advani soon joined the workforce of Al-Mulla Group, at a time when the company was simply known as Bader Al Mulla & Bros. Here, under the patronage of Indian community stalwarts such as Minoo Patel he grew in his career from store-stock tracker to become the only document coordinator for the group of companies.
He remembers with sadness the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, when Iraqi troops overran Kuwait. Overnight, the prosperous and easy-going life was in turmoil. “In the morning, I was just driving down to buy some vegetables when Iraqi soldiers stopped me; they thought I was a Kuwaiti dressed like an Indian.” Ramesh was held at a gunpoint and was asked to get out of his car. “I was scared, but managed to convince them that I was an Indian by speaking about Indian film personalities,” he said with a smile. “It is hard to believe that Bollywood saved me that day. The Iraqis finally let me go with a salute asking me to say ‘Salam’ to Amitabh Bachchan.”
Advani loves Kuwait dearly, for him Kuwait is his first home. “I have seen Kuwait go from masbaha (prayer beads) to mobile. The speed at which development has taken place in the country amazes me. The beautiful skyscrapers and the vibrant economy have made this country a luxury destination for many. But what makes Kuwait most appealing to me is that Kuwaitis are very friendly.
After 32 years of working with Al Mulla Group, Advani joined the restaurant business with entrepreneur and restaurateur Ravi Kohli. They started with one restaurant and today they have a chain of nine outlets, including the famous Dawat and Taal restaurants. “Years have come and gone, and today new players such as Talabat and Carriage are transforming the restaurant business, but the experiences and stories I gathered during my years as a restaurateur are moments that I will cherish forever.”
After 50 years in Kuwait, as he bids goodbye to this country, all he would like to humbly say is thanks to everyone who crossed his life and made it memorable, especially to his former bosses in Al Mulla Group, to Mr. Kohli and his sister Neelam Kohli, whom he sees as his mentors, and to his aunt for bringing him to Kuwait in the first place.
He adds that now that the younger generation has come up they should have the opportunity to experience what he had, and as he bids fond farewell and heads home to India to spend time with his daughter and grandchildren, his message of love to all residents here is simply, “Don’t text while driving.”
Staff Report
