Dinesh ,
Find below draft of a short bio of Bapuji . Feel free to add / omit / modify – and of course, attach those photos of Burma
Chintan / Saumil can get this translated in Gujarati , using Google Translate or BHASHINI , online
Batuk Bhai
A Brief Background of Shri Chunibhai Parekh
Shri Chunibhai Parekh ( my father - henceforth referred to as Bapuji ) hailed from Kunkavav ( Saurashtra )
. I have no recollection of my grandfather Shri Kapurchand except that, at an early age , he went to Burma ( current Mianmar ) , looking for a job . After Bapuji got married ( to my mother , Samjuben ), he too moved with our family, to Moulmein ( Burma ) and took up odd jobs. My uncle ( Harikaka ) too moved to Moulmein with his family. Ours was a joint family , living under one roof
Through his perseverance / hard work and proficiency in English language ( a rarity among Bania community in late 20s ), Bapuji built up a business of rice processing – since Burma was a major rice-producing country. He built a rice-processing factory , just opposite river Irawadi .
Much of incoming rice kernels ( for processing ), arrived on small country ferries from upstream and those jute bags got unloaded on a small pier, from which were then transported to the factory. Processed and polished rice, got filled into those same gunny-bags and got loaded onto ferries for delivery to rice merchants across entire Burma
Bapuji operated his business under the name “ G. Chunilal & Co “ ( G stood for the initial of my eldest brother, Gulab Bhai ). Bapuji’s office-cum-residence, was at “ 7 Strand Road , Moulmein “. Office was on the ground floor and our residence was on upper floor. Business was doing very well and besides a truck , Bapuji also purchased a car ( unheard in those early 1930s )
A was born in 1933 . I believe two years later, our family moved to Junagadh where we lived till about 1940, before moving to Bhavanagar , since it offered better educational facilities
During our stay in Junagadh, Bapuji came in touch with state diwan , Shri Bhutto ( father of Zulfikar Bhutto , who later became Prime Minister of Pakistan ). Bhutto was so much impressed with Bapuji’s business acumen that he appointed Bapuji in charge of public distribution of grains, all over Junagadh state. For travelling to distant villages , Bapuji made use of a State car
After shifting the family to Bhavnagar , Bapuji returned to Burma to look after his business , which Harikaka managed for a few years . Bapuji would visit us once a year for a couple of months
By 1944 , the third world war was peaking and the Japanese army invaded Burma , from where it planned to enter India. Rangoon and Moulmein started getting bombed . When Bapuji realized that Moulmein was about to be occupied by the Japanese army, he left everything behind and embarked on a ship to Kolkata. When family got this news, we felt relief !
From 1944 till 1948 , family moved to Mumbai, where Bapuji had set up an export/import business on Princess Street, under the names of “ India Overseas Traders “ and “ Shah & Co “. My elder brother Arvindbhai dabbled into businesses of “ Saree Printing “ and manufacture of cosmetics under the brand name “ Texas “. None of these businesses flourished
During our stay in Mumbai , Bapuji became friends with Shri U N Dhebar ( who later became President of Indian National Congress and later on Chief Minister of Saurashtra – before it merged with Gujarat State ), Shri Shamaldas Gandhi ( a leading political figure of Mumbai Congress Committee ) , Shri Ratubhai Adani ( a staunch Gandhian ) and Shri Amritlal Sheth ( owner of news-paper Janmbhoomi ) , Shri Rasik Shah ( who later became Home Minister in Saurashtra )
When India achieved independence in 1947 , Nawab of Junagadh , under the advice of his diwan Bhutto , decided to join Pakistan . When Sardar Patel got wind of this, he phoned Shamaldas Gandhi to form an “ ARZEE HAKOOMAT “ and “ liberate “ Junagadh from the clutches of the Nawab
Shri Gandhi along with the persons named earlier and with Bapuji , flew in a charterd airplane , to Keshod airport ( close to Junagadh ) and drove into Junagadh city , followed by jawans of Indian Army in white khadi kurta and lehengha , to convey to the world that this was an “ uprising “ by the citizen of Junagadh !
When Nawab heard of the march of ARZEE HAKOOMAT , he fled the city with his family and Bhutto’s family . Sardar had instructed that bloodshed should be avoided and the Nawab should be given free passage to Pakistan ( - to denote his surrender to the citizen army )
By 1948 , Bapuji’s asthama had become acute and doctors advised that he immediately leave the moist climate of Mumbai and move to a dry place. The family left Mumbai and after a couple of months in Keshod , settled down in Vadia.
Brothers Gulab bhai and Arvind bhai , set up a tractor dealership business in Rajkot and Bapuji purchased a small farm on the edge of the village and retired from all business
From 1948 till 1972 ( his swarg-was ) , Bapuji looked after the small farm and devoted his time in the service of the citizen of Vadia.
Dhebhar bhai offered Bapuji, a Ministership in Saurashtra Cabinet, which Bapuji respectfully declined
He made friends with Wajsurwala Bapu and Hadala Bapu , both were friends to my mama, Shri Zaverchand Meghani , who used to visit us in Vadia
Behind our farm, on top of the slanting land, there used to be an OTLA ( close to the Vadia Power House building ). I don’t know if it is still there. Legend has it that , whenever Meghani Mama would visit us ( - and my Nani Dholibai, who too lived in her own small house in the village ), these four friends used to sit on that OTLA, in the evening and discuss folk literature
From Bapuji, Meghani mama learned a lot about the social life in Burma and wrote a novel ( FAYAA LAARE - Prabhu Padharya ) and dedicated to Bapuji
What I am today , I owe to Baa and Bapuji – my living gods whose photos on the wall opposite my computer table , continue to shower their blessings on me today
Draft by : Batuk Bhai / 25 May 2024
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