The 6th ‘PanjoTaano’ an eagerly awaited annual get together of Bhatias, organized by the Global Bhatia Foundation (GBF) was held on Friday, 23rd November 2018 at the Seth GokuldasTejpal Auditorium, Mumbai. Unlike the previous edition, this one was a different kind of affair, a congregation of luminaries across various walks of life.

The evening commenced with the arrival of the management team of GBF, followed by the attendees. High tea and snacks were consumed as the attendees exchanged pleasantries and proceeded towards the auditorium. MrsUshabenSampat conducted the ceremony for the evening as she introduced PreetiSavla Gandhi & Group, the musical entertainers for the evening. The group began with traditional kutchi renditions which was an absolute treat to the ears! ShriAshwinShroff, the Chairman of GBF and ShriNitinDossa, the Guardian Trustee of the 6^th edition of PanjoTaano shared their thoughts with the audience, leaving the auditorium with eager anticipation of what was to unfold through the rest of the evening.

As the evening was a celebration of the spirit of the Bhatia community, stalwarts who have brought laurels to the community were invited to be a part of it. Individuals from different fields and serving various causes were honoured and felicitated by the GBF.

The list is as follows:

• NarayanbhaiMulani :A man with a unique passion of archiving music were celebrated. Narayan bhai possesses the largest collection of old 78 rpm music records in the country, meticulously collected over the past 7 decades with a stock of more than 6000 records of a wide variety ranging from Shamshad Begum to LataMangeshkar. His vintage audio collection also includes includes recordings of live speeches of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Bose, Pandit Nehru and many others!

• RajjubhaiShroff and SandrabenShroff :ShriRajjubhaiShroff is a visionary, bold and farsighted businessman who Chairs UPL Ltd., a true Indian Multinational company, having its presence in more than 60 countries. He is also the Chairman of Crop Care Federation of India, an industry association of Indian companies. RajjubhaiShroff has made exemplary contribution for the growth of Indian Agrochemical Industry.

SandrabenShroff is the better half of RajjubhaiShroff and also the vice chairperson of UPL Ltd. Apart from looking after the affairs of her own company she has made an outstanding contribution to the society with her philanthropic mindset. She has established several educational and social institutes and spearheaded many livelihood projects. Though born a Britisher, she is a true Bhatiani. It is quite commendable the way she has adapted to the Bhatia culture and family rituals!

• JaisinhbhaiMariwala :JaisinhbhaiMariwala is a member of the illustrious Mariwala family and has played a major role in the development and success of the Mariwala family companies. Other than his successful leadership at the business, he was the Vice Chairman of the Spices Board. Jaisinhbhai has been deeply involved in providing healthcare through his association with the Bhatia General Hospital which he is a Trustee at for over 12 years. As a tradition of the family to give back to the Society, he has been supporting a large number of students fulfill their global education dreams.

• TusharBhatia :Tushar Bhatia is a renowned music composer and sitar player who has also been a presenter for many stage, television and radio shows. His body of work ranges from composition of music for short films and documentaries to commercial feature films.Who can forget the soundtrack for the movie AndazApnaApna! Along with successfully managing commercial recordings, he has conceptualized, researched and designed several teaching modules engaging children, young adults, and professionals.His recent composition of song “AaChheSardar”, an inspiring tribute to Sardar Patel, has been quite the rage.

• RajendraToprani :Dr. RajendraToprani, a cancer specialist, is Senior Consultant, Head & Neck Surgical Oncology, at HCG Cancer Centre, Ahmedabad. After having completed M.B.B.S. he did his M.S. (General Surgery) in 1991 from V. S.Hospital at Ahmedabad. He underwent advanced training in Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, U.S.A. He is also a visiting fellow at M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, USA. Dr. Topranihas presented many papers in National & International Journals. He is an Executive Committee member of Indian Society of Oncology (ISO) and Indian Association of Surgical Oncology (IASO).

Dr. Toprani thanked GBF for this honor and as a gesture of giving back to the community, he has even pledged to treat patients with cancer symptoms at a highly subsidized rate or even free of cost in some cases!

• Late JaivabaiDevjiOmersi Asher Family :ShriDevjiOmershi Asher established BaiJaivabai School in Tamilnadu in 1942 in memory of her wife Late Smt. JaivabaiDevji Asher to fulfill her wish and vision for encouraging girls education.From its establishment in 1942, the school has steadily imparted education to over 6000 girls.The school provides modern facilities such as an auditorium, computer laboratory and science park for learning and development of the girl child.The school has also won awards for computer literacy, rain water harvesting and two of its Principals have also been conferred the National Teachers Award presented by the President of India. 

• NishantNitinDossa :NishantDossaia a young enterprising businessman who wears many hats. He is a known vintage car collector and a snooker champion. Nishant also serves as the director of Vintage and Classic Car Federation Of India. Inherited from his father Mr. NitinDossa’s passion for vintage cars, he has developed a keen interest in restoration and preservation of vintage cars.Ex- Maharaja of Mayurbhanj 1936 Alvis Speed 25 sporting VandenPlas coachwork driven by him, was second in its class at the Pebble Beach Concourse d,Elegance. 

• 8 JagdishThakersey :Jagdishbhai is the scion of the illustrious Thackersey family.Some one who has not only achieved much success with business, he is also an avid photographer who has displayed some of his works around the world. At an age when most young men would be looking for a fast, flashy vehicle, Jagdishbhai developed a passion for vintage cars. He owns and maintains a 1971 vintage Bentley which was once owned by Maharaja of Talcher. 

• DwijaAsher : Dwija Asher, MA in psychology from the University of Mumbai, is one of the top ranked gymnasts in India. She represented India at the World School Games in 2009. Apart from participating in several district level and state level championships,  She has also participated at the Asian Games in 2017. The state level Shiv Chhatrapati Award for the year 2014-15  andJhilaPuraskar in the year 2012-13 have been conferred upon her for her excellence in gymnastics. Dwija is a rising star and aspires to represent India at World Championship and Olympics.

Further to the felicitation, “The PushtimargiyaMandirs”, a book by Dr. MangalaPurandare was launched and distributed at the event free of cost under the patronage on ShriArunMathuradasSampat. “The Bha Collective”, a group of young Bhatia professionals who work closely with GBF with an aim to strengthen outreach within the community also took to the stage to announce the launch of a brand new website. The website www.globalbhatia.com has been dedicated to the Bhatia community and The Bha Collective seeks support and collaboration from Bhatias around the world to make this a thriving platform.

The musical entertainment by PritiSavla Gandhi & Group continued until the audience proceeded for the grand dinner. Kutchi and Gujarati delicacies were relished by one and all as the celebration for the evening concluded with much fanfare.

GBF thanks the patrons for their overwhelming response and taking time to give suggestions and feedback to help improve future events. The feedback chart proved a big encouragement for our young organizing team.

So Jai Shree Krishna until the next event.

NitinDossa

Guardian Trustee

PanjoTaano 2018