“A father figure to all”

"I always knew I was great but Zara has made it official,” joked Phiroze Kai­khushroo Dotivala when his great-granddaughter, Zara Daraius Shroff was born. Soft spoken and humble, yet full of mischief and wit, he was truly a great personality. Short in stature with a slight stoop, he would be seen all around Jamshedpur, walking at a fast pace, silently trying to get someone’s work done. He was like a father figure to all, especially the Parsis of Jam­shedpur.

Born in Baroda on April 17, 1922, he was the youngest of five brothers and sisters. His father was instrumental in building Port Okha in Gujarat and was the officer in charge of it. Dotivala lost his mother at the age of four and due to lack of facilities in Port Okha, he led a nomadic life staying with several relatives at different places all over the country for the next few years. When he was 12, his eldest brother got married and from then onwards young Phiroze was lovingly cared for by his brother and sister-in-law in Calcutta. He completed his schooling from St Xavier’s School, Calcutta and went on to do his LLB from Government Law College, Bombay.

Phiroze Dotivala: always ready to lend a helping hand

Eager, hardworking and meticulous, Dotivala started his career at Motor House Gujarat in Bombay. On April 1, 1948, he joined Tata Steel (the erstwhile TISCO) in Calcutta at the Agents’ office. Amongst other jobs, he was instrumental in acquiring the land for Tata Centre in Calcutta. In 1965, he was transferred to Jamshedpur as assistant secretary, Legal Department. He worked tirelessly for 34 years till his retirement as senior executive officer, Law in 1982. After his retirement, he was retained as a consultant by Tata Steel for over 10 years. He played a major role in solving the Bihar Land Reform problem for Tata Steel. He advised Tata Steel at the time of the March 3, 1989 fire about helping the burn victims. He was also a consultant to several other TISCO Group companies such as The Tinplate Company of India Limited, TRF Limited, TAYO Rolls Limited, Tata Refractories Limited, Tata Pigments and Tata Sponge.

He willingly gave advice and helped everyone in legal and personal matters. If someone came to him with a problem he would work all hours of day and night and would not rest until he had worked a way out. This was true especially of the needy and the downtrodden. He was known as much for his wise counsel as his ability to balance and bring order to any group he worked with. If he believed in a cause he worked relentlessly for it. He would never refuse to help anyone and was known to have done so from his hospital bed in the ICU! No problem was ever too big for him to solve or any job too small for him to execute. He was impeccably honest in all his dealings and he abhorred dishonesty. When he came to know about some Parsis taking bribes, he quipped, "Parsi thy name is charity, and in this case charity begins at home.”

Phiroze Dotivala’s grandchildren: (standing) Kainaz Dotivala Shroff and Yazed Dinshaw Dotivala; (seated) Yim (left) and Xerxes Navzar Dotivala

Dotivala was on the committee of various societies, educational institutions and charitable organizations. He was actively involved with many societies in Jamshedpur like the ADM Hospital and Cheshire Home. He was founder trustee of several bodies such as the Tata Zoological Society, Environment Society, Anurag Foundation and the Kuddi Mahanty Trust. He was secretary of the Indian Cancer Society and actively involved with the work of Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital, Jamshedpur till his last day.

A true Zoroastrian in thought, word and deed, he was always ready to lend a helping hand to everyone in the community. Shortly after coming to Jamshedpur he became the honorary secretary of the Jamshedpur Parsee Association (JPA) between 1966 and 1969 and was associated ever since with its managing committee of which he was vice chairman. As the vice president of Jamshedpur Zoroastrian Association Education Society, he was actively involved with the Baug-E-Jamsheed School which he helped in many ways. He was also a trustee of the C. M. Shroff Agiary as well as managing trustee of the Jiji Irani Sports Memorial Trust. An avid cricket fan, he would keenly watch all the matches on the TV. Ironically, on the night before he died, he was up late watching the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket match!

Modest and humble yet full of wit and humor, Dotivala’s jokes were legendary. On one of his birthdays he was given a pair of shoes by his son and daughter-in-law and a pair of chappals by his wife. A few days later a postcard was received by the family with a couplet stating: "Beta beti né diya joota, bibi né di chappal, Hai meri kismat (My son and daugh­ter have given me the boot and my wife has given me slippers. O, what a fate is mine)!”

His pleasant nature made him a favorite with everyone, young and old. He was totally devoted to his family and made a loving brother, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather and great-grandfather. His grand nephew used to call him "Funny Man.” Dotivala and his wife Vilu celebrated their diamond (60th) wedding anniversary on January 12, 2010. He died a very peaceful death on April 17 of the same year, which was his 88th birthday.

He will be missed not only by his family and the wider community of Jamshedpur but by every person whose life he quietly touched. He was truly a man for society at large and not only for our community alone. He was small in appearance, but his contribution to society was larger than life!

This article has been jointly written by all four of Phiroze K. Dotivala’s grandchildren. The oldest grandchild Yazed Dinshaw Dotivala is a wordsmith, crossword maker as well as a computer expert. Kainaz Dotivala Shroff is a clinical psychologist. Xerxes Navzar Dotivala is assistant vice president with Citibank and Yim Navzar Dotivala is an entrepreneur. Many other family members also contributed anecdotes and comments to the article.