Page 368 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

I grew up as one of seven. We had the same father, same mother,
same education, same upbringing, same everything, so why should
one be so much more successful than the others? I know my
brother Adam is just as hard-working; in fact, I would say he’s
harder-working than me. Academically he’s brighter than me, he’s
been to university and he’s incredibly astute, yet he hasn’t had my
level of success in business. The more I thought about what the
Koran says about wealth, the more I understood its meaning. I
have come to the conclusion that we can only be partly responsible
for our success, but there is so much more that we are not in
control of.
When two and a half million people descend on Mecca at one
time, the accommodation and food available can only ever be
basic. Part of the ritual is to live in the desert for three days of the
pilgrimage, as the Prophet did, and so we camped in conditions
where there was perhaps one toilet for fifty people, and if the toilet
broke it just wasn’t possible to get a plumber. People started
complaining about the conditions, but it just made me grateful for
everything I have. In Kosovo and Kashmir I have seen how people
survive with nothing, and when I think about their lives I am really
quite humble: recognising how blessed we are is one of the reasons
to go on the pilgrimage.
The year 2007 was the right one for us to make the journey to
Mecca. Jemma had just moved to Paris to complete her degree,
Hanah had started at the London School of Economics, Aisha was
nearing the completion of a Master’s degree in design and, with
Dragons’ Den and Hamilton Bradshaw, my career had never been
so fulfilling.
The four of us are incredibly close, and when we are together
we have the best time. If I’m honest, I can’t wait until there are
more of us: of all the things the future holds I am most excited at
the prospect of having grandchildren. I joke with the girls that if
they happen to give me a grandson I may never let him leave my

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