DR. SURENDER SINGH KANDHARI–an inspirational entrepreneur

The success story of DR. SURENDER SINGH KANDHARI is nothing short of inspiring and prove one fact over and over again—everything is possible, if you have the will to accomplish it. He is a PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARDEE. He is also the Chairman of Al Dobowi Group, Dubai, UAE, he is the Chairman of  Eternity Technologies, RAK, UAE and the Chairman of Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara Dubai, UAE. The path to success is not always easy – just ask him, and he will tell you the tiresome, persistent process that has kept him awake on many nights. From the start, he had a strong entrepreneurship vision. He was a determined boy who was not going to let the universe get in the way of his dreams.  His story teaches us that you do not have to be born rich to become a successful entrepreneur. You can be completely self-made and start from scratch if you have a clear vision, determination, and resilience. His story serves as a reminder to use your own life for business inspiration and use a cause you care about to spread positivity in the world. The path or the journey to starting his own business was not always smooth. At every level he went through some obstacles. What you can learn from Dr. Singh are some great attitudes in life such as determination, relentless efforts, and insistence. No matter how far away one’s dream is, it cannot be reached without insistence and a strong will. The key factor to success is how much efforts you have to put in your work.

Tell us something about yourself.

I was born on 5^th Sept 1948 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. I studied in Vijayawada Hyderabad, Madras and Mumbai before I joined the family business in Hyderabad in 1969.

When where why and how did you begin your professional life. Tell us all about your journey

I started my tyre business, importing and selling tyres. The initial days went in trying to establish myself by getting a house etc. I stayed at the Phoenicia Hotel in Nasser Square for one month trying to set up things, getting trade license, getting to know how to get around was tough as nothing was well organized then. I got into a partnership with a friend and initially used his office to get started. We could export to places like Iran, Nigeria. Everyone from the Middle East was buying from Dubai. It was like a big supermarket and I finally set up in Deira in 1976, and thus was born Al Dobowi (which means the man from Dubai in Arabic).

Over the years, our group has consolidated its global positioning by forming alliances with companies that are regarded as household names in the world of tyres, however in those early years modernization was in full steam and the not-so-super roads back then made our business grow exponentially.

“When the modernization process started with massive construction and upgradation of roads and large-scale movement of vehicles, tyres became an integral part of the whole development and Al Dobowi was well placed to make the best use of this opportunity. The Company represents major brands like Hankook, also Exide and Hankook Batteries. Most relationships are over 2 and 3 decades and very strong. The business expands over to 6 continents.

What is the secret of your success and what does success mean to you?

Tyres are an important part of the vehicles. Most people bargain the price down. I had a simple philosophy tyres are the only item which contact the road in a vehicle. The entire economy moves on tyres, growth happens only when there are good tyres on the wheels. If there is a faulty tyre and at a high speed the tyre bursts then it is sure to kill all the passengers in the vehicle. I did not want to sell any substandard or low quality tyres. I did not want to sell cheap tyres, second grade tyres, etc. etc. my elders taught me that there is god in every human being, if you respect human you respect god. I did not want to harm or hurt any of God’s human. I took a holistic approach and was ready to sacrifice my bottom line but would not want to kill anybody. This has been the secret of my success. I believe today the world of tyres has a respect for Al Dobowi because we never indulge in any activities to harm anybody.

There are few things one cannot compromise on, safety integrity, honesty and caring for others. There is no short cut no half way no bargaining. One has to follow all through all the way and be clear to have a straight approach. These few attitudes of thinking will go a long way. 

The Al Dobowi Group is committed to excellence in quality, reliability, on time delivery and continuous improvement. Consistently working towards the future of motion.

I have also been lucky to have been supported in my life in Dubai by my family.  They say that behind every successful man is a woman – telling him he is wrong!  In my case this is only partially true.  Standing shoulder to shoulder with me is definitely a strong woman, my wife Bubbles Kandhari, but she is not telling me that I am wrong. Instead she is strong enough to be my rock and gentle enough to be the wind beneath my wings.

Another secret is that, I treat my team as my family and involve them in the organizational processes and decisions. Communication is the most important tool to set challenging goals and get them accomplished by working in unity and harmony. I always tell my team that in order to utilize your life well down to the last minute, you must apply positive thinking both professionally and personally.

Any striking incident in your life that had a deep impact on you or changed the course of your life?

The thought of building the Gurudwara in Dubai and getting the sanction from His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, changed the course of my life and after that I have become very spiritual and God loving and want to serve the humanity. It all started more than 58 years ago when my grandfather Atma Singh, who himself had helped build a Gurudwara in Vijaywada, in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, in 1956, told his eight-year-old grandson Surender Singh Kandhari, that one day he too must help build a Gurudwara when he grew up.

“I was just eight-years-old at that time and it struck me as a bit odd that my grandfather should ask me to do something as huge as that.

“Then strangely, when I was 12-years-old and studying at Hyderabad Public School, an itinerant palm reader told me that by the age of 45, I would become a priest. I promptly told him “no” as I wanted to run our three generation old family business in automotive spare parts in India. I had no intention of giving it all up. However, that incident stuck in my mind and often made me think about what my grandfather said to me years ago,”  The idea of the Gurudwara germinated 13 years ago with the growing need of a proper place of worship for the Sikhs, who until January 2012 shared space in the temple premises in Bur Dubai.

“In the Sikh culture and religion, a Gurudwara is central to the community as that’s where we gather and hold our weddings, celebrate births and festivals, mourn deaths, meet each other, eat at the Langar (free community kitchen) and bond as a people to show our care and concern for another.

“A Gurudwara is not just the house of God for us, it is the life force that ties the whole Sikh community together and our lives revolve around it.  That was missing here,”  I decided to do something about it and along with other prominent members of the Sikh & Sindhi community in the UAE spearheaded the community’s efforts to build a Gurudwara in Dubai. “It was a long drawn-out process”. We had to explain the concept of the Sikh religion and convince them that it was a basic need of the community. “It was hard to explain to the officials even the idea of Sangat (community worship) and Langar. I had to translate excerpts from the Sikh holy book the Guru Granth Sahib, and read them out to the officials. I had to tell them that just like followers of Christ and in Islam, Sikhs also believe in one God and everyone is equal in the community.

“In 2008, after six long years of petitioning the rulers, who I must point out always gave us a very patient hearing, we finally had cause to celebrate when His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, very generously gave us the permission not only to build the Gurudwara but he also gave us 25,000 square feet of land absolutely free in Jebel Ali Gardens. “His only condition was that the Gurudwara should be number one in the world in keeping with Dubai’s image of being the best at everything with its superlative architecture.

“I assured His Highness that while I could not give him the number one Gurudwara in the world as that privilege is reserved for the Golden Temple in India, I could certainly ensure that it would be the second best in the world and it would have a wow factor that would have the world talking ,”

Once we got the land, there was no stopping the 50,000 strong Sikh community and 40,000 Sindhis in the UAE who hail from India and other parts of the world. The best engineers, architects, interior designers and construction firms were commissioned and the work began on building an iconic piece of the UAE’s history. The internationally-reputed Dubai-based architect firm Holford Associates, that has built over 20 churches, four mosques and one temple, was entrusted with the task of designing the Guru Nanak Darbar. “Before awarding the contract we asked the architects to visit Gurudwaras around the world, find each one’s imperfection and make a perfect Gurudwara in the UAE that would be an iconic landmark serving the needs of the community here,” It took two years for Holford Associates and Paul Bishop Design Associates to give shape to the three storey masterpiece built over 125,000 square feet with three basements, a community kitchen and assembly halls.

In fact, so vital to the project was precision and detail that Paul Bishop and designer Arafeh Bashir visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar to study the frescoes and wall paintings of the Harmandir Sahib. Five years and Dhs. 65 million later, the most talked about Gurudwara in the world was commissioned on January 17, 2012 with funds raised almost entirely from within the 50,000-strong Sikh and Sindhi community in the UAE. Today the Gurudwara serves free Langar to approx. 2000 people everyday, 15,000 people on Fridays and Holidays and over 60,000 people on festivals. Since its inception Gurudwara has served Langar free to over 8 million visitors.

Describe yourself as a person. 

As a person am very down to earth. It is always nice to be nice. I always stay humble and focused. I believe in Sincerity, Hard work, Dedication and Commitment. I think out of the box and I always want things to be different. I always stay humble and focused. I also believe that, the harder you work the luckier you are.

What are the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them? 

Getting a trade license was not difficult but I had a strange experience in choosing the name of the Company. Finally I was given the name by the Officer of the Dubai Municipality – AL DOBOWI Tyre Company was then formed. When I came here I could see that the locals really trusted Indians, especially Sikhs which was really good. I approached a transport company here sometime at the end of 1976 and offered him tyres. He asked me if I had 100 tyres and I told him I did have. When he came to check it he was surprised to see that I had 10,000 tyres as stock in my warehouse. He realised I was genuine and spread the word around. Thus, the business kicked off in a small manner from that point.

I was the first person to offer warranty on tyres which was a big plus. “I got tyres from CEAT and MRF in India who gave me warranty. So why would I not give warranty to my customers? My thrust was, and still is, quality. I started my own brand – Infinity – and we remained the only tyre company to provide warranty for a Chinese made Tyre.

About the awards and accolades received by you….

Accolades

• 2021– Bharat Gaurav Awards by Sanskriti Yuva Sanstha   in recognition of the selfless service towards the community.
• 2021 – Sikh Jewel Award by the prestigious British Sikh Association for bringing honour to the Community & Country with his commitment and contribution.
• 2021 – Certificate of Commitment by World Book of Records London, for the relentless sewa and commitment to serve the society during COVID-19 Pandemic
• 2019 – Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards by the President of India – this is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians, honouring exceptional and meritorious contribution in their chosen field/profession.
• 2012 – “Sikhs in Seva” by The World Sikh Awards, UK – For the  contribution to society through means of Seva (Selfless Voluntary Service) and an outstanding individual who has most excellently demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision when helping others by building the first official Gurudwara in the Middle East.
• 2014-  “Sikh Jewel Award” by the prestigious British Sikh Association for exceptional service, dedication & commitment to the Sikh community
• 2016 – Business Excellence Award 2016 by H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development Abu Dhabi, UAE at the Indian Business Professional Council Business Summit 2016 in Dubai.
• 2016 – PUNJABI ICON AWARDS which is of international repute recognizing the achievements in Global Corporate Sector by the Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board (PCHB)
• 2016 – NDTV Gulf Indian Excellence Awards for a truly outstanding Gulf Indian Business Leader and as an inspiration for Indians across the globe.
• 2017 – “Jewels of Punjab” Award on the eve of 71^st Indian Independence Day –by Former Prime Minister Honourable Mr. Manmohan Singh in association with World Punjabi Organisation and Maneesh Media, Delhi India.
• 2017 – Punjabi Gaurav Award by Punjab Association, India – in recognition of the selfless service towards the community.
• 2018 – Literary Excellence honour by Bharat Nirman Foundation for the contribution in the field of Inter-faith.
• 2018 – Leadership Summit and Awards by Republic TV Gulf Indian in recognition of the success and leadership stories.
• 2018 – Global Loyolite of The Year Awards by Loyola College Madras, India
• 2018 – Indywood Excellence Awards in recognition of the notable efforts and the outstanding contributions made to the Indian economy.

On Sept 6 2018, H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance UAE, released Dr. Surender Kandhari’s autobiography “Temple of my Dreams”. The book has four major strands. It stands as testament to the creation and development of an industrial empire that now employs over 2000 people, gives one an inside look into the tyre and battery industry on a global scale and provides signposts to young entrepreneurs on how to set up their businesses. The book is also a personal account of an extraordinary life and how these factors are bound together by the inspiration derived from construction of the Guru Nanak Sahib Gurudwara in Dubai and how this incredible house of worship was conceived and turned into reality, that being the core basis for the title of the book.

From the best-selling novel, ‘Temple of my Dreams’ came in a new inspiration. LIGHTHOUSE OF TOLERANCE virtually launched on September 23^rd, 2020. The book “Lighthouse of Tolerance”- self-published by Surender Singh Kandhari, offers a general understanding of issues pertaining to tolerance (or lack thereof), appreciation for multiculturalism and diversity.  It attempts to create awareness about the importance of happy and peaceful co-existence in todays’ technologically advanced and globalized diverse world. The book is based on a survey between the oldest country India, which has been practicing tolerance since centuries and comparing it with the UAE the newest country promoting tolerance.

“ONE – The Spiritual Search” by Dr. Surender Singh Kandhari is the third part of a trilogy, launched on 23^rd February at 2pm at the Conference Centre, India Pavilion Expo2020 by HE Mr Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to UAE & H.E. Maqsoud Kruse Chairperson of the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) UAE both in Arabic and English version. The book chooses simple every day facts which are an eye-opener in terms of how we conduct ourselves to be able to move to a level of better and meaningful co-existence. Laughter has no tax, take time out to communicate with your loved ones, mobile phones are a need and they should not rule you.

How do you balance work and family?

One has to have a compartment style living. Prioritising the work and doing it diligently. When in office do not think of home and vice versa.

The family is the leading institution in any society, as it is the first institution put in place by The Creator with responsibility to maintain moral principles. Modern life is tough and stressful, it is the family that must play the most important role to promote a healthy work-life balance. If there is peace in the family then the true moral values and knowledge are imparted. It is also the place where one learns to live in an upright way and this helps to build strong foundations in the society. There is a famous saying in Gurbani which translates into “Peace in the house brings Peace to the World” and also “if you can control your kind you can control the World”.

What are your future plans?

Professionally, my goal is to become a Billion Dollar Group . Socially, my goal is do Sewa to the under privileged by way of education and serving the community at large.

Anything else that you want to tell the readers…

Be sincere to yourself. Be considerate to others. Never feel low and dejected on failures as they teach you to come out stronger. You have to be dedicated and sincere to yourself. If you don’t cheat others and if you are true to yourself, you will be successful. It’s painful to see how people kill and hurt others. Integrity and honesty are at the heart of any business. Be positive, work hard and leave the rest to God, without his blessings you can never succeed.