Sadaaqa features James Mathews
KUWAIT CITY, March 22: Sadaaqa continues to document and celebrate India-Kuwait relationship through people to people contact and individual experiences.
In its March edition, Sadaaqa features James Mathews, Managing Director of Safeena Group of Companies.
James is a second generation Indian in Kuwait. His father Mathunny Mathews, popularly known as Toyota Sunny was an inspiration. Toyota Sunny came to Kuwait as a 20-year old and joined the Al Sayer Group. His origins were humble. He worked as a secretary and assistant to the senior Al Sayers. Through hard work, dynamism and honesty, he rose to become the group’s Managing Director.
In 1989, he retired and set up his own company. During the occupation of Kuwait, Toyota Sunny acquired iconic status.
He provided much needed leadership at a difficult time to stranded Indians and helped the safe airlift evacuation of around 170,000 Indians from Kuwait. History records it as the largest airlift. Toyota Sunny and his teams incredible story has been covered by ‘Airlift’ the famous Bollywood film starring Akshay Kumar.
In this episode of Sadaaqa, James Mathews speaks to Chaitali B. Roy about his father’s journey to greatness, his close relationship with the Al Sayers, his status as a hero and savior in Kuwait, about the airlift, about his own journey, his reflections as a second generation Indian in Kuwait, about the challenges his father and he faced as Indian businessmen in Kuwait.
Sadaaqa thanks Anees Backer, Technical Director, Anupa Dasgupta and Mobasshir Rahman for their collaboration.