A perfect gentleman

The reaction of anyone who heard the sad news of Jal Dastur’s death on October 6, 2005 was "what a wonderful person he was – a true gentleman.”

I knew Jal for over 45 years. We studied law in the Government Law College around the same time; and Jal, the much loved chartered accountant and his brother Soli, the well known tax expert formed the core group of friends that my brother Tehmtan and I spent time with. Jal had even in those early years the gift of puns and rhyming that remained his trademark all his life. Any situation provoked a little rhyme interspersed with humor and puns. Our home at Churchgate, where we often got together, was the scene of hilarious laughter and merriment shared by my parents who were urged to join in.

One would never guess from his demeanor and behavior that he was a highly qualified person who gave talks at the Chartered Accountants Society and whose expert opinion was valued by his professional colleagues as well as others. Jal did favors for anyone who had the good fortune to know him.

Alyque Padamsee and Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal at the reading of The Mother and Other Short Stories

The bonds of youth never break — whatever the distance, time or circumstances that separate us. For several years while we were both working towards a career — he studying for his London Chartered Examination and attending to the clients of his family firm, and I striving to balance a family and a high-profile job, we did not meet often. About 25 years ago, for personal reasons I left my job. The infrastructure of a large organization where a press button produces secretaries and peons, and any information one needs, disappeared overnight as did several persons one had assumed were one’s friends. In those circumstances I turned to Jal whenever I needed help — notifications, circulars, amendments, a typist, and everything that I had not realized I needed to set up an independent practice. I wrote my first book — The Company Secretary’s Handbook at that time and the first review of the book was by Jal. The book was a success, and gave me the "kick-start” I needed. Thereafter we continued to meet at meetings of the Law Committee of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber where he invariably created ripples of laughter with his inimitable legal analysis of laws, punctuated with wit.

A reading from my recent book The Mother and Other Short Stories had been scheduled by the Oxford Bookstore for October 8, two days after Jal passed away. They had suggested that a person who had read the book should speak on that occasion in addition to Alyque Padamsee and Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal who were to read from it. I could think of no one more suitable than Jal. But fate had willed otherwise, and about a week before that day, he was knocked down by a vehicle which ultimately took his life. That was the only time he failed me. My bigger challenge on that day was to go around with a smiling face at the same time that the uthamna prayers were being said for him. Perhaps the Gods felt they had a preemptive right over their very special creation!

KHORSHED JAVERI