Doha: Hassan Abdul Karim Chougule alias Hassan Chougule (74), an Indian businessman residing in Qatar, who served as the head of the Indian Cultural Centre, Indian Community Benevolent Forum and Indian Business and Professional Network, has passed away.

Hassan Chougule, who received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman from President Pratibha Patil at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Jaipur in 2012, was listed by Arabian Business as one of the 100 most powerful Indian businessmen in 2011, 12 and 13.

Hasan Chougule was born in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra and came to Qatar in 1977. Hassan Chougle started his career in Qatar as a technical supervisor at Manvir Engineering and had earlier worked at Larsen & Turbo in Mumbai.

Chougule started a company called Imad Electricals with his friend GMD Khatib and later ran the company alone after Khatib returned to his homeland. Then, using his skills and the opportunities of Qatar, he entered trading, fiber glass, education, medical supplies, hotels, and real estate. Apart from Qatar, he started businesses in India as well.

He worked in many organizations such as Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad and Jamia Urdu, Aligarh, North Indian Association, Anjuman Muhibbane Urdu Hind, Kokan Social Forum, Halkhe Albabe Kokan, and served on the management committee of DPS MIS Indian School.

Hasan Chougule also made his mark in service activities in Mumbai and the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

He has received many awards including the M Kanjani Award for Charity, Fakhre Kokan Award for Promotion of Education, Qatar National Human Rights Award for Human Rights Activism, Pride of India Leadership Award from the President of Mauritius, Baghban Urdu Award from the UK European Urdu Writers Society. Hasan Chougule's wife, Kausar Hasan Chougule, owned several businesses in Qatar and India.