Gesture of gratitude

Zavaray Poonawalla, the well known stud farm owner and industrialist of Poona was in Bombay attending to some important work when he came to know that his driver of 30 years, Gangadatta, had passed away. He immediately cancelled his meetings, requested the driver’s family to delay the cremation and returned to Poona post haste by helicopter. There he asked for his limousine, which he had bought from Bhagwan Rajneesh and in which Gangadatta had driven him ever since it had been acquired, to be decorated with flowers and personally drove his faithful driver in it on his last journey to the cremation ground. This incident was recounted by Navroze Tarapore in Zend, May 2011, the publication of the Shree Parsi Panchayet, Vadodara.

Zavaray Poonawalla: personal tribute

A sorrowful Poonawalla explained that Gangadatta had served him day and night and he felt that this was the least he could do to express his gratitude to the loyal retainer. Poonawalla mentioned that Gangadatta, who had risen from poverty, had educated both his children well, his daughter having become a chartered accountant. Success in life should not be measured in terms of money alone, he added. Everyone earns money, which is nothing unusual, but we should always be grateful to all those who contribute to our success.