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Maghanmal Pancholia
Maghanmal Jethanand Pancholia (24 October 1924 – 2 September 2019), also known as Maghaba, was an Indian-Emirati businessman, trader, philanthropist and the founder of the Indian High School, Dubai, first Indian educational institution established in the UAE.[3] He was one of the four businessmen to introduce electricity to Dubai,[4][5] and the first Indian citizen to be appointed as board member of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry by Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.[3] He served director of Dubai Electric Company (now merged to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) from 1961 to 1980[6] and the board member of Al Maktoum Hospital, originally appointed by the British Political Agent.[2] BiographyHe was born on 24 October 1924 in India and belonged to Sindhi community.[1] He married Kalabai Maghanmal Pancholia (1927–2018) in 1943, with whom he had four children.[7] He reached to Sharjah in 1942 via Karachi route[8] and started trading pearls and gold. He was also involved in grocery stores and currency exchange businesses until he started textiles, electronics and wholesale food alongside financing pearl industry.[1] In 1957, he established an electricity corporation in Dubai which continued power distribution to the general public till 1960.[9] He wrote an autobiography titled Footprints: Memoirs of an Indian Patriarch that covers his life and the development history of Dubai.[8] DeathHe was 20th century's one of the oldest Indian-Emirati citizens.[10] He died on 2 September 2019 in Dubai, and was cremated on 3 September in Jebel Ali.[11] Books
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