Dubai: Today’s morning brings bad news for the Indian community of UAE. Indian businessman and philanthropist Ram Buxani passed away on Sunday. Ram Buxani (born 1941) was a Dubai-based Non-Resident Indian entrepreneur and chairman of the business conglomerate ITL Cosmos Group. Ram Buxani passed away in Dubai last night, his family has confirmed.
Ram Buxani was one of the earliest Indians to have settled in Dubai. He started his career as an office clerk in 1959 and rise as community leader and chairman of ITL Cosmos Group.
Buxani was Director of IndusInd Bank for 8 years. During 2009-2004, he was Chairman of the Board of The Indian High School, Dubai. Buxani was the founder and Chairman of the Overseas Indians Economic Forum (UAE), which was a preeminent forum for the Indian NRI community until 2003 when it merged with the Indian Business and Professional Council.
Ram Buxani was born in 1941 in Hyderabad, Sindh in British India. Like many other Sindhi families, his family migrated to India after the Partition of India in 1947. His father passed away when he was five years old.
At the age of 18 years, in order to support his widowed mother and family, he started to search for a job in Mumbai. After seeing an advertisement on a local newspaper, he applied for a job as an executive assistant with International Traders Limited in Dubai. After securing the job, in November 1959, he boarded a steamship to Dubai that finally anchored off the coast of Dubai on a rainy day and he was ferried ashore in a small boat to the beach. This was during an era when Dubai was part of the Trucial States and was not even marked on most maps. Buxani started working in 1959 as an office clerk at the ITL outpost at Dubai and eventually rose to chair the Cosmos ITL group in 2014.
HE Sunjay Sudhir – Ambasador of India to UAE said in his condolence message, “The passing of Mr Ram Buxani is a sad moment. In his passing, the community has lost a guide, a role model and a mentor. Mr Buxani has done the Indian community in the UAE proud. He will remain an inspiration for generations of Indians who call the UAE home. He was one of the most prominent Indians in the UAE whose hard work, entrepreneurial spirit and service to the Indian community will always be remembered.
Whenever we met, the warmth, optimism, and passion he exuded always left me inspired. I pray to God to bestow eternal peace to the departed soul and may his family and friends find the strength to bear this sudden and irreplaceable loss.”
Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare expressed his commiseration on Dr. Ram Buxani’s demise, “Dr. Ram Buxani has been a role model for many Indian entrepreneurs who aspired to achieve their dreams in UAE. As a visionary leader and a cherished friend over the years, we deeply mourn his passing. His legacy and commitment to the community will be remembered for decades to come.”
Kamal Vachani – Group Director and Partner of the Al Maya Group expressed his condolence, “I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Ram Buxani. He was a prominent figure in the UAE business community and will be dearly missed. I extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Chandra Shekhar Bhatia – Chairman GBF said that “it’s a big loss for the Indian community in general and Sindhi community specifically. He was a big supporting pillar and inspiration for new comers. His contribution towards education, social services, and community services will be always remembered.”
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He has three daughters and seven grandchildren. His autobiography “Taking the High Road” was a bestseller in Dubai for several months when it was published in 2003. Subsequently, it was translated to Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam, and several Indian and Pakistani languages. Another book titled “Sindhis – God’s Gift to Global Economy” was published in 2007.
