IN MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED FATHER / BROTHER SHRI HIRANAND SUGNOMAL BHAGNARI (SADANI)

On the occasion of his first death anniversary, we, the near and dear ones relive the memories of this great personality. Shri Hiranand was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and was married in 1947 at the time of partition. His personality was engrossed in his name, viz: HIRA, HE WAS A REAL GEM. He had a very loving personality and always extended a helping hand to others. Following the bitter rivalries amongst Hindus and Muslims post independence, he also suffered the evils of partition and decided to migrate to Bombay to rebuild a new life. Whilst in Bombay, one of Hiranand’s friends was offered a job in Kuwait, but his mother did not allow him to go to a foreign country, so he asked Hira if he would take the offer in his place. He accepted this challenge as a life changing opportunity and migrated to Kuwait where he worked extremely hard to sustain his family, making a lot of personal sacrifices. After years of hard struggle, he established his foothold in Kuwait and helped not only his brothers and sisters settle there but in addition helped numerous other Bhagnaris and non-Bhagnaris earn a decent living with lucrative jobs in Kuwait. He derived pleasure seeing others rise in their careers and become prosperous.
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He was a very kind and fun loving person and a very talented singer. He would sing in such a soulful and melodious voice, that people would come down from their houses and stand in the staircase to listen to him sing devotional songs. He had a tremendous sense of humor and would always make everyone laugh. He was always a Giver and was ever ready to reach out to people without discriminating. He was also a very involved father, father-in-law and grandfather which made the children very dependent on him. In short He was our Guru. He loved his children, brothers and sisters a lot and was a devoted husband. Later in life, he took care of his ailing wife for more than 25 years, despite his own struggles with multiple knee and hip surgeries. He took these sufferings as divine blessings and continued unabated with his daily routine of material and spiritual work. He was a devoted father and wanted both his sons to have the best of education, which he himself was not fortunate enough to achieve. Through his efforts and guidance, both his sons were sent abroad who graduated with honors from Stanford University, USA and Cardiff University, UK respectively. He was a very spiritual and pious person, attending all religious functions and even to his last day kept reminiscing of how he enjoyed going to all the temples and satsangs everyday. He was a great soul full of compassion that touched everyone’s heart instantly. He was a very humble and modest person despite his multifarious achievements in life...
In Kuwait, he played a pivotal role in getting his boss Kutaiyba Alghanim actively involved in bringing Swami Chinmayananada’s mission to Kuwait, a staunch Muslim country where other religions were not allowed to practice their faith freely. The Chinmaya Mission in Kuwait is on solid footing today not seen in other Gulf countries. Kutaiyba Alghanim even donated Rs. One lakh towards the construction of the dome (Shiv Ling) at the Chinmaya Mission temple in Powaii Mumbai... (In 1972 One Lakh was a big amount)
Additionally, he helped the Bhagnari welfare society and other non Bhagnari organizations in many ways and also contributed money to be awarded on yearly basis for deserving candidates in pursuit of higher education…
He has certainly left a deep void in all our lives. We really miss him and pray that, he may rest eternally in Heavenly bliss.…

Missed by his children Asha, Prakash and Rajesh, daughters-in-law Anita and Jayshree, brothers Daulat, Shewa, Prem and Sunil, sisters Leela and Mohini, and all his grandchildren,
great grandchildren, relatives and friends…

On his first death anniversary on 15th of Oct., we all pray to God that his divine soul rest in peace…

Rhea Nasta unveils her Jewelled Collection on 17th August, 2010 starting 3.00p.m at IIJW Grand Hyatt.

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes…

Inspired from the traditional Kamasutra… RHEA NASTA, head designer of Popley, displays an exquisite collection of RHEA designer jewels spread across 3 time periods. The collection takes you back in time where vilandi necklaces are worn with kamar-bandhs and the hair is adorned with gold ornaments; moving on to the age of remixes, fusion and glam where Indian inspirations meet western panache. We then visit the era of the contemporary woman, who steals the show with her elegance and aura.

A perfect Woman, nobly planned
To warm, to comfort and command
And yet a Spirit still, and bright
With something of angelic light

A 'Cinderalla Shoe' encrusted with over 1,200 diamonds is what ended designer Rhea Nasta's show at the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW).

The show that gave glimpses of the designer's three collections - Villandi, Cocktail and Sparkler - was concluded by ace choreographer Sandip Soparrkar and his wife Jesse Randhawa dancing and enacting the story of Cinderella and her lost shoe.

Bhagnari Quiz Contest - 22AUG2010

Bhagnari Quiz Contest was held in Kataria Colony on 22nd August. 15 teams participated in the quiz.

The contest was won by the team of Naresh Nasta, Rhea Nasta and Ansh Nasta.
The 2nd prize went to the team of Ashok Lulla, Vishal Nasta and Shagun Nasta.
The 3rd prize was won by the team of Vinay Gehi, Sneh Gehi and Shivani Kataria.

The show was compered by Shilpa Singh (Kataria), who kept the contestants and the audience thoroughly engrossed and entertained.

To view more pictures of this event click on http://picasaweb.google.com/ramesh.poplay/BhagnariQuizContest22AUG10#

Tahilram Motumal Kanar - One of our Unsung Heros

In our effort to highlight the achievements of Bhagnaris, we have mainly concentrated on our youngsters. In this article, on the occasion of India’s 64th Independence Day, we bring to you the achievements of one of our unsung heroes, who was a selfless freedom fighter and a talented artist.

Tahilram Motumal Kanar, popularly known as “Taala”, was born in a family of literates. From the childhood he was instrumental in organising freedom rallies. During the Quit India movement he fought for India’s freedom, along with people like Ravjibhai Ganatra, who went on to become mayor of Mumbai. When Mahatma Gandhi visited Karachi for the Quit India movement, Tahilram acted as one of the main volunteers.

He used to organise Prabhat Pheris (early morning processions), where they sang songs for freedom. He wrote several Sindhi, Bhagnari and Hindi songs, of which the following nationalist songs become very popular:

- Aayo aayo re Quomi fakeer, kuch naale watan je diyo
- Tahil akhenda Tahil karo, Waqt Tahil da aaya hey
- Gandhi ek langoti wala, jiske jande ke rang teen
- Jai Jai Bharat Mata (this was a very popular song and was sung in schools and cultural programs all over India)

He spent 7 years in jail at various times and suffered injuries in lathi charges. He was well supported by his wife Putli and his brother Issardas Kanar (Master), inspite of the financial difficulties faced by them. After India became independent he received offers from Congress Party for various posts, but he refused them stating that his job was done. Many of his juniors grabbed the opportunity and achieved high positions and material rewards.

He was a talented story and play writer in Bhagnari and Hindi languages. One of his plays was staged in Bhagnari Para in Karachi. Thakurdas Kamra, Ramesh U Mehta and many other Bhagnari artists acted in his plays. His songs like “Halo Halo Ri Sakhi Hardwar Haloon..Ganga Jamuna je Paar Haloon” and “Hey Koi Laal Mai Da Makhna, Mekoon Deve Dilasa Sakhna”, were a big hit. He wrote several scripts for movies, most of which were plagiarized by film producers without giving him due credit.

He also acted in films with one of his dearest friends, Moolchand Dewan. Their pairing was called Taala and Moola. They were the first Bhagnaris who acted in movies.

Being a fighter all his life, God repaid for his deeds by curing his dreaded throat decease and he passed away peacefully.

Tahilram’s grand-son Bharat has an interesting account to share. “I still remember how on 15th August, I was lazing in bed, instead of participating in the school’s flag hosting ceremony, as most school kids found it a drag to attend the same. Baba came over to me, a certain pain in his eyes, and explained as to how much torture and trouble he and his peers had to undertake to witness this glorious flag to be hoisted. Henceforth, I was one of the regular participants in the flag hoisting ceremony.

It will be interesting to know that his service to the nation was also acknowledged by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, when he received a letter which appreciated his efforts in India’s freedom struggle. It was indeed a very proud moment! He will always remain in my fondest memories.”

Vishnu Kataria who lives in the UK had the good fortune of interacting with him at a young age. He has kindly forwarded the following write-up about his impressions:

“Tahilram has remained an unsung hero. Bhagnaris have worshipped wealth and power all these years but neglected talents of our heroes in other directions. To me he was almost like a father who guided me through the early years of my life. I met him one morning in Jodi Bazaar in Karachi where he was running a clothes stall, close to the perfume shops. Tall, with a face like a Roman soldier, but with a heart of gold, he spoke with the power of Prithviraj. “Son”, he said, “would you help me with the Bulletin.”

Bhagnaris of my age would perhaps remember that Bulletin was the main instrument of freedom movement, a brain child of Tahilram, a short magazine printed under the cellar of his house which also served as a candle factory, the main source of his livelihood. I was promoted as a candle maker and later as the sales person.

Tahilram's brother, as you will perhaps all know, was Master Issardas, who was then a surveyor with the municipal corporation. The family lived on the same floor with their mother. I was twelve and the Quit India movement had taken hold of India. Tahilram was the leader of the Bhagnari movement. There were four to five boys including myself who helped in the printing and distribution of the Bulletin door to door, an offence punishable by the British with a prison sentence of six to twelve months.

Tahilram, the bread-winner of the family, would ignore his dear wife Putli and thrust himself fully into the movement that had gripped us all – young and old. I clearly remember that he had, on one occasion, led a large procession to Boulton Market Police Station and laid a peaceful siege of the police station without any violence. The station was surrounded by Bhagnari and Sindhi neighbours. We kids stayed at the back of the procession. Tahilram, being the leader of the group, was taken into custody and I was pushed back by the Police as being too young to be taken into custody.

This was the political side of our dear friend, guide and philosopher Tahilram. Let us not forget that he was an artist as well. He was a great actor and director.

I will always remember his famous words: As we march ahead, we go backwards. These highly philosophical words sting in my ears as I see that the people around me in England and Mumbai are going backwards, while technologically we are supposed to be marching forward.

I had met him in Mumbai when I had started teaching in K.C. College. He was a changed man, his eyes showed intense pain and suffering, his dreams vanished, our community gradually split and darkened by economic struggle. He was, if I remember well, a disillusioned man but then he had one asset: his family, a dedicated wife and two loving children, of whom he was intensely proud of.”

Mahesh Gehani honoured as a rising star of Dallas Business Community

Mahesh Gehani was recently honoured as rising star in the Dallas business community. Each year the Dallas Business Journal selects 40 honorees under the age of 40. This year Mahesh was selected, when the program included Dallas business' brightest person from each major industry in the city, including, an international social networking guru, a frozen yogurt entrepreneur, a commercial real estate developer carrying on his family tradition, and a researcher working to cure breast cancer. In addition to that they must have performed community service.

Mahesh graduated from University of Maryland and got his masters degree from University of Texas at Austin. He now works as Director of Credit at Nexbank. His idols are Marc Faber and Bill Gross who see things in the financial world as they are and not as they would like them to be. His greatest challenge has been to incorporate networking and long term perspective of business into his career trajectory. His motto is to be persistent and never give up. His keys to success are high work ethic and to treat others well. He would like to be known as a genuine person perceived as being thorough and open-minded about what he does.

As a part of community service he recently completed 100 km bike ride to raise funds for American Diabetes Association. He is also involved with Youth America Foundation, working with at-risk middle school kids, to get them thinking about college. He plans to develope its strtegic plan going forward. He has contributed in different other roles, e.g. as board member of CFA society of Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Bhagnari community is proud of Mahesh and wish him success in his future endeavours.

Three Pairs of Eyes - A beautiful expression by Aashna Nasta

One of Aashna's poems was published in Femina recently. She has expressed her thoughts very well and feels that Women are often referred to as complicated and twisted. But this is because women look at themselves from 3 different perspectives - mirror, microscope and binoculars. This is a poem about these 3 views - 3 pairs of eyes. Here is the poem>>>>

Three pairs of Eyes
I try to search myself and try to seek answers,
I look beneath my joys and fears,
I strain myself to see
What actually makes me?
I answer surveys about my tastes
What I hate or like best
They are supposed to tell me,
Traits about my personality
This is my introspection,
Better explained as self-inspection;
But the mirror on the wall displays
My features the other way
The reflection is the next pair,
What often obstructs is the glare
Prevents me from seeing
What the mirror is showing
I’m often afraid of the image it may display
I may not like it that way,
However I know it’s true,
It’s showing me myself, not you
Then I stand into the shoes of another,
Whose opinions I don’t bother,
But this time I need to know,
So I’m going to stand and watch the show.
It’s a completely neutral view,
When I’m not in my own shoes
It’s a different person I see
I’m skeptical if it’s me
Three pairs of eyes
They see nobody but me
But yet they see different sights,
Like photographs taken in different lights

Aashna received the following commendation from Femina:

Dear Aashna

We are exceptionally pleased to inform you that your poem “Three pairs of
Eyes” has been featured in our ‘READERS POST’ section on the site.
Here is the link to your poem:
http://readerspost.femina.in/stories-poem/three-pairs-of-eyes/

We thank you for sending in your quality writing to us. We trust that the
piece sent to us was an original and hope that you enjoy passing it around
to your family and friends.

Please note, this is featured exclusively on the website and will not be
published in the magazine.

We value your patronage and participation and urge you to keep writing in.
And while you are there, have a look at the revamped face of your
favourite magazine’s online portal: www.femina.in

We hope you have a great time browsing through our site.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon...

Cheers,
Femina.in team

Reha Sukheja for Ms Universe India - Another Bhagnari on the go..

Reha Sukheja has been shortlisted for the Ms Universe India contest to be held on 28th May at NCPA grounds in Mumbai.

Bhagnari youngsters have been showing their talents in various spheres and Reha's venture into the world of beauty contests surely makes us feel proud of her achievement. Click on http://iam-she.com/contestantsdetails.php?id=20 for more details. Those on Facebook can also join the group Reha Sukheja as Miss Universe.

The I AM She foundation is a product of Ms. Universe - Ms. Sushmita Sen who is mentoring 30 girls selected out of 20000 across India.

Reha is Raj Sukheja's daughter and must be congratulated on reaching the finals. She deserves the best wishes of the all Bhagnaris for the finals.