Meet man who once lived in slums, sold books on roads, now one of richest Indians in Dubai, his massive net worth is…

Many people are born poor and die poor, but Rizwan Sajan's perspective was different; his hardship and success demonstrate that being born into a poor family is unavoidable, but dying poor is entirely within one's control. Born in the Mumbai slums of Ghatkopar, Rizwan Sajan began his career as a street vendor, peddling firecrackers and books while also delivering milk to help support his family. After his father died when Sajan was sixteen, he started working at his uncle's building materials store in Kuwait in 1981. From trainee salesman to manager, Sajan advanced through the ranks fast. 

Many entrepreneurs have built prosperous companies despite adversity and a lack of financial situation; a first-generation entrepreneur, Rizwan Sajan, the founder and chairman of Danube Group, is one such individual. Having begun his career as a salesman, this non-resident Indian businessman is currently among the wealthiest Indians in Dubai. His billion-dollar Danube Group is among the biggest building material companies in the world, with branches spread across the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and India.

He founded the Danube Group in 1993, and it has since grown into a diversified business conglomerate with interests in real estate development, home décor, and building materials. The group generated an annual turnover of USD 2 billion last year, and Sajan's personal net worth is estimated to be in the billions of dirhams, according to the UAE Ministry of Economy's website.