Building dreams!
Nikhil Ballal
Who knows better the importance of having a roof over his or her head than the one who has slogged to have one? Mr. Mushtaq Shaikh is known to have kept burning the candle at both ends, to reach a position where he is in today in the real estate space. Providing homes to close to 2000 families, Mr. Shaikh has done a phenomenal job so far and is expected to do many such wonders in the coming future.
Born in 1969 in a typical middle class family of Solapur, Mr. Mushtaq carved his impression on the slum redevelopment canvas. Considered to be the king of the slum redevelopment projects in and around Thane, indisputably, Mr. Shaikh has enjoyed preponderance, thanks to his top-notch work quality and fantastic working style.
The slum redevelopment master completed his schooling from Mumbai and in pursuit of higher education went back to his home town. “During that time, my family was in dire need of money. My father wanted me to complete my education at the best possible pace and quickly start earning”, explained Mr. Shaikh. He attained a Diploma from All India Institute of Local Self Government, and was expeditiously absorbed by the Solapur Municipal Corporation as a Sanitary Inspector in 1992. “Prior to being associated with Solapur Municipal Corporation, I worked for a brief while with a social worker”, added Mr. Mushtaq. A few years down the line, Mr. Shaikh found himself in a predicament when he received offers from Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and a company based out of Dubai. “I owe my success to my wife, who then helped me to get out of the catch 22 situation comfortably and advised me to take up the TMC job”, exclaimed Mr. Shaikh. The bug of entrepreneurship bit him when he was working with the TMC.
“Under the banner of Samrin Group that was led by me, my first project was in Koparkhairne when I received a piece of land from CIDCO. Alongside me there were around 40 people working on this project, and each of us had one thing in common and that was we did not have a proper roof over our heads”, elucidated Mr. Mushtaq. Rs. 5000 was collected from each of the individuals and in return a decent accommodation was provided to them. Thriving on the confidence sought from his first project, Mr. Shaikh decided to take his dream to the next level. “My second project was in Airoli, where I provided housing to 50 families”, added Mr. Mushtaq. After the completion of these two projects, he bought himself a 1BHK flat in Thane.
So far Mr. Mushtaq Shaikh’s story looks nothing less than a fairytale, but just like a spring which is required to be pushed down only to rise higher, the real estate developer did face some problems which tried to push him down. A man with a good head above his shoulders, weathered all storms with ease and sailed through smoothly. It was only in 2004, when he took to slum redevelopment that he faced significant challenges. Clearly it was evident from his talk that slum redevelopment is not anyone’s and everyone’s cup of tea. “I faced a lot of criticism during that time. I was unapologetically fighting a court case, which was hampering my work”, stated Mr. Mushtak. However, he fought tooth and nail, and ultimately won the case, at the expense of his home and other financial assets.
Providing shelter to around 2000 families in Talegaon, currently, Mr. Mushtaq has around 15 other slum redevelopment projects under his belt. His solid dedication towards his work has been the building block of his success. Mr. Mushtaq Shaikh’s journey from selling his own house to building homes for close to 2000 families is nothing less than breathtaking.