Tributes paid to popular Indian school principal who died in UAE
Mohammed Abubaker worked at schools in the Emirates for nearly 25 years until his death
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Family and friends of an Indian school principal, who died this week, paid tribute to an "amazing, dedicated and pious man".
Mohammed Abubaker, 59, principal of Scholars Indian School, died of a heart attack in his home in Ras Al Khaimah on Tuesday.
His funeral was held two days later in his native village of Thumbe, about 20 kilometres from the coastal town of Mangalore in India.
“His body was flown from Dubai to Mangalore on an Air India Express flight on Wednesday evening after completing the formalities, including a Covid-19 test. His daughter, Khadeeja Mafhooma, who lives in Dubai, travelled on the same flight,” Basheer Veerakamba, a neighbour and friend, told The National.
As is customary in Islam, Abubaker's body was washed at Mangalore’s Central Jumma Masjid, before being taken to his home for family and friends to pay their last respects.
“Funeral prayers were offered at a local mosque in the early hours of Thursday,” said Amin Ahsan, a long-time friend, who attended the prayers.
Abubaker is survived by his wife, Mumtaz, who lives in India; his son Mohammed Mahfooz, 28, who works in Ras Al Khaimah; and two daughters, Khadeeja Mafhooma, 24, and Hawwa Mubashira, 16.
It’s an irreplaceable loss, but we have to surrender to the will of Allah. He was an amazing father to all the three children
Mohammed Mahfooz
Abubaker worked at schools in the UAE for nearly 25 years until his death, with his first stint as principal at the New Model Indian School in Dubai in 1997. He later worked at various Indian schools in Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Al Ain. He also briefly worked at an Indian school in Thailand.
He joined Scholars Indian School in 2006, where he worked until his death.
“For the past 14 years, he has worked with tireless energy and passion to drive our school to greater and greater heights,” said Habibur Rahman Mundol, chairman of the school.
In addition to being principal, Abubaker worked as a counsellor for Central Board of Secondary Education pupils on matters related to behavioural, emotional, social and academic issues.
He was also treasurer for Gulf Sahodaya, a body of CBSE school principals from GCC countries, and was an honorary director of Diamond International School in his native village.
Mohammed Abubaker, second from left, with his son Mohammed Mahfooz, left, wife Mumtaz Abubaker, centre, daughters Khadeeja Mafhooma, second right, and Hawwa Mubashira, right. Courtesy: Abubaker family
Early in his career, he worked at schools in and around his home town for nearly 15 years before crossing the Arabian Sea. He was much loved by his pupils around the world.
“I was his pupil at Thumbe BA College and he ... gave a lot of importance to discipline and morals,” Mubarak P D, who is now in Abu Dhabi, told The National.
“We reconnected after I came to the UAE about 10 years back. Every now and then he would send or forward me informative and inspirational quotes on WhatsApp. He said 'assalam alaikum' on the eve of his death on WhatsApp. Looked like he had something important to share with me. But in the middle of my work, I forgot to send a reply,” Mr Mubarak said.
“I will have to live with this sense of regret for the rest of my life,” he said.
A deeply religious man, Abubaker would often post about Islamic teachings on his social media accounts, with a special emphasis on life after death. Over the past year, he published about 20 episodes of Quranic lessons in his regional lndian language of Kannada, on his YouTube channel.
A day before his death, he shared a post titled "Nine regrets after you die" containing Quranic verses.
His friends and family said Abubaker appeared to have a premonition about his death.
“Looks like he knew that death was lurking in the corner. I could sense a tinge of sadness in his voice during my interactions with him for the past few weeks,” his son said.
“On Friday, he was talking repeatedly about death and the life hereafter. He kept telling me that he would be gone soon and asked me to prepare for a life without him.
“Of course, it’s an irreplaceable loss, but we have to surrender to the will of Allah. He was an amazing father to all the three children,” Mr Mahfooz said.
His death shocked pupils and parents at Scholars Indian School.
Mubashir Hidayat, a Grade 5 pupil at the school, recalled how Abubaker helped to calm his nerves during admissions two years ago.
“He asked me to sing a song and he sang along with me. He was very friendly and kind. He loved the students like his own children,” Mubashir said.
Mubashir's elder brother Shahid shared similar sentiments, saying the principal's death was “a great loss to a lot of people, mainly because he was a very supportive, encouraging and caring person".
“Every day, at the end of school hours, he would stand near the exit point and talk with students, meet parents and help us if we’re going through bad times”, the Grade 8 pupil, from Kerala, said. “Definitely we will miss him.”
Courtesy: www.thenationalnews.com
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
