One-time Indian mechanic now owns 22 Burj Khalifa apartments

George V Nereaparambil says will continue to buy more if he gets a 'good deal'

Dubai-based Indian businessman George V Neryamparampil is now one of the largest private owners within the Burj Khalifa.



George, who owns 22 of the 900 apartments in Burj Khalifa, says he is not planning to stop anytime soon. "If I get a good deal, I'll buy more. I am a dreamer and I never stop dreaming," he told Khaleej Times from one of his apartments in the iconic Dubai landmark.

He recalled that in 2010, "A relative of mine jokingly told me: See this Burj Khalifa, you cannot enter it.” After seeing an advertisement in a newspaper about an apartment for rent in the building, he said, “the very same day, I rented the apartment, and the next day I was living in it."



He revealed that five of his apartments are on rent, and he is still "waiting for the right tenant" for the remaining. George moved to Sharjah in 1976. That was his first time outside India. Seeing the potential market for air conditioners, he soon started his business. Eventually, he was able to build a mini-empire with his GEO Group of Companies. "For me, learning is the biggest wealth. I continue to learn every day, this is my biggest success. People should dream, people should learn, and then people will achieve," the Kerala-born businessman said.

At the age of 11, George would regularly help his father trade cash crops. He also set up a side business, making money from waste. "People in my hometown used to trade cotton, but they'd throw away the cotton seeds. Not many people knew at that time that you could make gum from those seeds." Sifting through the dirt and sand to gather up the disregarded seeds, George said he often made a "90% profit selling them on." He added, "I'd do the same with tamarind seeds too. I'd sell the empty shells on as cattle feed."



Speaking of his future plans he revealed that he wished to build a canal from Trivandrum to Kasarakod. “This canal will give back to nature. Whatever water will come from the forest nearby, we will produce electricity from it,” George said, adding, “We will also use the water to cultivate vegetables, and I plan to section off a small part of it so that fisherman can cultivate fish. We will also use the slurry as fertiliser.”

This article originally appeared on Khaleej Times.