“Aimai’s Star”

On reading "Aimai’s Star” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, August 2003) I am prompted to add:

Aimai J. Commissariat was my aunt, my father’s eldest sister. She was the fifth child of my grandparents who had five sons and eight daughters. For many years we all lived together in a joint family in my grandfather’s huge bungalow Ghamat Lodge on Dadar Main Road. The building where Star Bakery was located also belonged to my grandfather. It was called Ghamat Building. It was attached to our bungalow on the rear side. After my grandfather died in 1925 this property belonged to my eldest uncle Ardeshir and my father Jehangir. In 1933 this property was sold and all brothers and sisters went to stay separately with their families.

Aimai Jehangir Commissariat was born in Bombay on September 6, 1869 to wealthy parents. Her father was a businessman, landlord of immovable properties and landowner. She died in Bombay on June 28, 1958 at the age of 89 years.

She was noble, large-hearted, extremely active, courageous, hard working, daring, a thorough businesswoman and very strict as far as her employees were concerned over whom she had a good control. Sympathetic towards the poor and needy she would gladly extend her hand.

Commissariat: generous and daring

As a daughter she performed her duty towards her parents as long as they lived, looking after them very well. She also assisted her brothers and sisters who were financially weak and supported them and their children in their need.

She had no children of her own but two stepdaughters by her husband’s first marriage. One of them died young. The other was married, looked after and supported by Aimai.

She had traveled widely all over India and in 1926 she sailed to Europe with her two elder brothers Ardeshir and Khan Bahadur Pirojshaw Ghamat for nearly six months. In England she visited Cross and Blackwell factory from where she would get her ingredients such as jam, essence, etc for use in the bakery.

TEHMI D. DASTUR