Home for the elderly

Colonel Sir Dr Byramji Hormasjee Nanavatty’s daughter, Dr Bachoo Byramji Nanavatty, who inherited half the share of her father’s luxurious residential bungalow with a large compound on Salapos Road next to the General Post Office, built and donated to the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat residential blocks known as the "Nanavatty Memorial Blocks” for use of the weaker sections of the community. She also bequeathed her share of the bungalow and outhouses along with the related compound to the Vanprastha Seva Samaj (Old Peoples Home) of Maninagar, to run a home for the old people of the society, named the Sir Byramji and Lady Dhunbai Nana­vatty Vanapras­thashram, in me­mory of her deceased parents.

Dr Byramji H. Nanavatty and his daughter Dr Bachoo Nana­vatty: helping the needy

Since this land was about to be requisitioned for a proposed road, the management, with the concurrence of the executors of the donor’s will, decided to hand over the land in advance to the municipality in exchange for a large plot of land in Naranpura’s residential area, as against the now commercial area of Salapos Road. Accordingly, since June 12, 1994 the Sir Byramji and Lady Dhunbai Nanavatty Vanaprasthashram has been located in a sprawling compound in Naranpura having modern buildings constructed through donations from other sources. Unfortunately, no Parsi (barring perhaps one) appears to have taken advantage of this facility.

RASHID S. MEDORA

Ahmedabad

rashid@medoraindia.com