Thiruvananthapuram: United Arab Emirates (UAE) based-Indian businessman, M A Yusuff Ali, has recently donated about Dirhams 220,000 (Rs 49,82,706) to his alma mater, St. Xavier’s High School in Karanchira in Kerala, India local media reported.
The donation was made on the occasion of an alumni reunion where he studied from class 8 to 10 during the 1970s.
As per a report by Khaleej Times, the 67-seven-year-old Lulu Group Chairman arrived in his private helicopter at the reunion. He then received a grand welcome and was presented with a shawl as a token of appreciation.
Yusuff Ali shared memories with classmates and former teachers in the old classroom. He remembered and was all praise for his teacher who taught him fast calculation.
The reunion was concluded with the cutting of a cake, selfies and the recitation of a poem by Malayali poet Changanpuzha.
Who is M A Yusuff Ali?
Born in Nattika, Kerala’s Thrissur, Yusuff Ali Musaliam Veettil Abdul Kader, holds a diploma in Business Management and Administration.
Yusuff Ali moved to Abu Dhabi in 1973 to join his uncle’s small distribution business. He launched the first Lulu Hypermarket in 1995.
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the Lulu Group is known in the Gulf for its chain of popular shopping malls and hypermarkets that cater to a wide range of ethnic groups in the region.
With annual revenue of about 8 billion dollars, the LULU group has employed more than 65,000 people in 23 countries across the Middle East, Asia, the US and Europe.
Apart from his hectic business life, Yusuff Ali is also active on the social front and is associated with various organizations. He is married to Shabira Yusuff Ali and has three children. His eldest daughter Sabeena is married to billionaire businessman Shamsheer Vayalil, who runs a separate healthcare business.
