New Delhi: Indian-origin entrepreneur Daniel Lazar, who founded the UAE-based business and educational conglomerate The Lazar Group, died in Kerala on Wednesday. He was 84.
In 1968, Lazar had left a secure job as an electrical engineer in India to travel to the UAE in a small boat.
The news of his passing was announced by his group on Wednesday, reported Gulf News.
Lazar was also the founder of the North Point Education Group of Schools. Paying tribute to him in a Facebook post, NPE described Lazar as a visionary who built his legacy on integrity, service, and care for others.
“A man of vision, character and quiet strength, Mr Lazar founded the Lazar Group on the principles of integrity, service and care for others,” the post read.
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Pune to UAE
Lazar began his career as an electrical engineer with the Tata Group in Pune. On 8 April 1968, he gave up his job and set off for the UAE from Gujarat in a small boat. The 10-day journey across the Arabian Sea was difficult and uncertain, but he eventually reached the shores of Khor Fakkan, reported Gulf News.
After arriving in the UAE, Lazar began working in the power sector, and went on to establish The Lazar Group in 1969. Over the years, the group expanded into several business sectors, including construction, facility management, and garments and fashion.
The group also remembered his generosity and the lasting impact he had on those around him.
“He planted a seed with faith and tended it with love, and from it grew all that we are today. He asked little for himself and gave generously to everyone around him. In his steady presence, we found direction; in his kindness, we found home. Though he has left us, what he built will carry his name in our hearts and in our work, for years to come,” the post said.
In 1985, Daniel Lazar and his wife, Sosamma Lazar, established Little Flower Nursery in Ajman. The following year, they opened Ajman Intermediate English School, which is now known as The Royal Academy, Ajman.
Today, North Point Education operates three schools: The Royal Academy and The Bloomington Academy in Ajman, and The Hope English School in Sharjah.
“Educating children gives me happiness. Watching them grow into successful individuals is the greatest reward of my life,” Lazar would often say, according to the Gulf News.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)