Siddique Hassan
Managing Director & Social worker
Golden Comet LLC
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
A man driven by his commitment to society and the political ideology he follows, Siddique Hassan is the heart and soul of the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress in Oman apart from being a successful entrepreneur and social worker. He owns Golden Comet LLC, which is the one-stop destination for all types of branded watches suiting different budgets. Siddique also owns the Adorn brand of analogue watches and chronographs that boast Japanese technology and ingenuity. A dyed-in-the-wool supporter of the Indian National Congress, he is a well-known figure in expatriate circles.
A Journey That Began in Pallikkara
Siddique belongs to Peringala in Pallikkara in Ernakulam District where he was born as the son of Hassan Haji, a businessman, and Asiya Hassan, a homemaker. After completing his schooling, he began to help his brother who was into the manufacturing and sale of readymade shirts that were sold under the brand name of Adorn. He was responsible for collection of materials, introducing the brand to retailers and also running the showrooms in different parts of the district. He remained in this capacity until 1992 when his trajectory changed in the form of a job in Saudi Arabia. It was a clerical job at Al Rajhi Commercial Exchange in Tabuk. In 1994, he bid goodbye to that country and returned home to start a travel agency with a friend.
The following year, he flew once again to the Gulf. This time, the destination was the Sultanate of Oman. He started his innings as a salesman in an electrical shop in Suwaiq and he remained in that capacity for two years. It was then he made up his mind to try his luck in business by starting his own enterprise, KMAB Trading, which dealt in readymade dresses and electronics items. The year 2008 was a gamechanger of sorts as that was when he rechristened his establishment as Golden Comet LLC and it focussed exclusively on watches.
Now, Golden Comet has four showrooms in Ruwi, Seeb, Al Khoud and Saham. It is also the wholesale supplier of branded watches such as Casio, Timezone and Shadow across Oman. Shadow is a Swiss brand and Siddique is its sole supplier in the country. Golden Comet has a presence in hypermarkets and malls across Oman. His Adorn brand of premium timepieces are made of Japanese components. These analogue watches and chronographs have an eclectic blend of models that suit gents and ladies. They are mostly preferred by the expatriate community.
A Social Worker to the Core
From an early age, Siddique displayed extraordinary leadership qualities and was involved in social causes. He was the school leader and his affinity towards the ideals of the Indian National Congress attracted him to the Kerala Students’ Union or KSU and he became its Unit President. He then went on to become the KSU Taluk Committee Secretary, District Committee Member and the Youth Congress Mandalam President.
Even after reaching the shores of Oman, Siddique lost no time in getting involved in social causes and he founded the Pallikkara Relief Committee bringing together more than 250 expatriates in Al Khadra who hailed from his village. It is involved in hosting charitable activities in Pallikkara. While in Khadra, he became a member of the Overseas Priyadarshini Cultural Congress, a collective of Congress supporters in Oman. He used to take a taxi and travel to Muscat, 150 kilometres away to attend its meetings and other activities every month. Such was his dedication and love for the party.
To Siddique goes the credit of forming the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC), which is an umbrella organisation that brings together all collectives and organisations comprising supporters of the Indian National Congress. It was in 2009 that it came into existence and it was declared as an association in a glittering event by senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, who is now the Honble Home Minister of Kerala.
For ten long years, he was a member of the SMC of Indian School Muladha and served as Treasurer and President. It was during his tenure that the school got a new building, smart classrooms, parking area, and a play area for the KG section. For the Malayali community, there were only two branches of the Indian Social Club-the Kerala and Malayalam wings. The establishment of the Malabar Wing goes to Siddique’s credit and he is still continuing as its co-convener.
Wedded to Community Causes
In times of need, Siddique puts aside his role as an entrepreneur and steps in donning the garb of a social worker. During the terrible days following the aftermath of the cyclone Gonu, he was part of the welfare committee constituted by the Indian Embassy to bring relief to affected people. He is also the patron of Karunya Sparsham NGO which does humanitarian work. This organisation runs a dialysis centre in Pallikkara.
Siddique is also a member of the Loka Kerala Sabha – a mega event sponsored by the state government to bring Malayalis around the globe under a single platform. It aims to develop the state with the expertise of these able members of the diaspora. He took the initiative to attend all the three sessions of the event and actively took part in its deliberations.
He is also the Founder President of the Lions Club Muscat NRIs, a special chapter of this global fraternal organisation. Given his wide contacts, he is also serving as the GCC Coordinator of Global Indian News , which is a news platform.
Awards and Accolades
Siddique is the recipient of several awards in recognition of his social activities. They include:
Shifa Al Jazeera Award that was presented by former Home Minister the late Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
Malayalam Oman Chapter Award that was presented by M K Raghavan MP
Bharat Gaurav Samman Award presented by former Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla and former Tamil Nadu Governor Bhishma Narain Singh
URF Global Award given by the chairman of Al Raees Group Ahmed Al Raees
Indian Social Club Muladha Award for Best Social Worker that was handed out by former Sports Minister HE Mohamed Almardhoof Al Saadi
Education Excellence Award of the British Parliament
Oruma Cultural Centre Appreciation Award presented by former minister M K Muneer
Award for relief measures during COVID and it was presented by Glafar Mohamed Ali
Madras University Award for the book 100 Renaissance Heroes of Kerala
Indian School Salalah memento for contributions made to social, cultural and educational causes
Indian School Saham memento for contributions made to social, cultural and educational causes
Indian Embassy appreciation certificate for serving the outpass citizens during the general amnesty and it was given by HE Anil Wadhwa, the Ambassador of India to Oman
Indian Embassy appreciation certificate for serving the expatriate community as a social worker and it was given by HE J S Mukul, Ambassador of India to Oman
Family and Passions
When he is not busy with events or philanthropic activities, which occupy the bulk of his time, Siddique loves to devour books and travel overseas with his family. So far, he has travelled to more than 30 countries. He has penned two books- ‘Keralathile 30 Swathanthryasamara Senanikal’ and another volume on 100 renaissance figures of Kerala. Siddique is married to Sabida, and they are blessed with two sons. The eldest Mohammed Suhail completed his BTech in Mechanical Engineering at Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, Kakkanad, after which he did his master’s at Northampton University in the UK. Currently, he is working there. The second son Mohammed Sahil completed his BBA at Rajagiri College of Social Sciences in Kalamassery after which he pursued an MBA at Dublin University. At present, he is working as a medical technical assistant at Enfer Medical Ltd in Ireland.
Contact Information
Siddique Hassan
PO Box No: 236, Postal Code: 314, Oman
