Events & Personalities
Built on values
"My father (Kaiwaan Patel, pictured) lived his life and ran his business with integrity and humility… He kept the tenets of good thoughts, good words and good deeds at the center of all his relationships and dealings,” wrote his daughter Meher Patel in an email to Parsiana after the Coonoor, Tamil Nadu-based businessman passed away on September 26, 2021. "He is greatly missed by us all at the Nilgiri Herbs (NH) family, and we continue working by the company motto, ‘Building on values,’” she emphasized. 
Nilgiri Herbs Private Limited is a South India based real estate development and construction company.
"Building homes was not merely an occupation for my father, it was his passion — it gave him great joy to hand over the keys to a finished house to a client, knowing they were fully satisfied,” wrote Meher. "My mother Binaifer has shared and supported this passion and has been an active and vital partner in the company since its inception in 1996.” Meher’s sibling Tiraan has also joined the company and had been working with Kaiwaan and Binaifer for the past few years. "NH office, construction and supervisory teams have always prioritized quality, integrity, honesty and environmental responsibility above all else.”
"He not only had extremely high expectations for himself, but he held every person working with him to the same exacting standards,” stated Meher, who is married to Maanik Nath. She recalled an instance of Kaiwaan’s meticulousness: "During the building of NH’s first home, a bathroom wall was less than an inch crooked… My father refused to allow this and told the masons to break the wall…The masons insisted that this error would not cause any structural problems, and kept arguing with him… In the end, my father picked up a hammer and started demolishing the wall himself.” Ever since, if he or Binaifer said that something was not up to quality standards, the offending structure would be hastily fixed, or demolished, narrated the proud daughter.
Kaiwaan was a fan of western classical music. In her early years and even now, "symphonies, orchestras, triumphant tenors and sorrowful sopranos would fill the house every Sunday,” Meher noted. A supporter of the Symphony Orchestra of India and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, he planned his visits to Bombay according to the musical season there. "We have many fond memories of going to concerts together and then drinking cold coffee in the intermission,” the daughter narrated. With a total of 21 years on the Ootacumund Club managing committee, Kaiwaan served as president for three.
"My father took the Zoroastrian call to philanthropy seriously and while he would donate to and support local charities, he would also give to anyone who came to our door, especially those who came asking for education or medical assistance.” A believer of "charity begins at home,” Meher said that her father would help and support people in need in the Nilgiris as much as he could, "most times, not even telling my mother…One story comes to mind… One of his employee’s wife was diagnosed with a heart condition…My father paid for the surgery, medication and rehabilitation in full… In addition, he personally took her blood pressure and checked other vital levels every Sunday on his home portable machines.”
Born to Rusi and Silloo Patel, Kaiwaan was an alumnus of St Mary’s High School and Bombay University. Meher threw light on the name of the company: "In the late 1970s my grandfather bought a property in Coonoor as a holiday/retirement home…He planned on starting a business growing and exporting herbs so they incorporated the name Nilgiri Herbs Private Limited.” The senior gentleman did not get around to starting his herb business. "When my parents moved to Coonoor and started the real estate and construction business, they decided to operate through Nilgiri Herbs Private Limited for sentimental reasons.” F. J.
Nilgiri Herbs Private Limited is a South India based real estate development and construction company. "Building homes was not merely an occupation for my father, it was his passion — it gave him great joy to hand over the keys to a finished house to a client, knowing they were fully satisfied,” wrote Meher. "My mother Binaifer has shared and supported this passion and has been an active and vital partner in the company since its inception in 1996.” Meher’s sibling Tiraan has also joined the company and had been working with Kaiwaan and Binaifer for the past few years. "NH office, construction and supervisory teams have always prioritized quality, integrity, honesty and environmental responsibility above all else.”
"He not only had extremely high expectations for himself, but he held every person working with him to the same exacting standards,” stated Meher, who is married to Maanik Nath. She recalled an instance of Kaiwaan’s meticulousness: "During the building of NH’s first home, a bathroom wall was less than an inch crooked… My father refused to allow this and told the masons to break the wall…The masons insisted that this error would not cause any structural problems, and kept arguing with him… In the end, my father picked up a hammer and started demolishing the wall himself.” Ever since, if he or Binaifer said that something was not up to quality standards, the offending structure would be hastily fixed, or demolished, narrated the proud daughter.
Kaiwaan was a fan of western classical music. In her early years and even now, "symphonies, orchestras, triumphant tenors and sorrowful sopranos would fill the house every Sunday,” Meher noted. A supporter of the Symphony Orchestra of India and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, he planned his visits to Bombay according to the musical season there. "We have many fond memories of going to concerts together and then drinking cold coffee in the intermission,” the daughter narrated. With a total of 21 years on the Ootacumund Club managing committee, Kaiwaan served as president for three.
"My father took the Zoroastrian call to philanthropy seriously and while he would donate to and support local charities, he would also give to anyone who came to our door, especially those who came asking for education or medical assistance.” A believer of "charity begins at home,” Meher said that her father would help and support people in need in the Nilgiris as much as he could, "most times, not even telling my mother…One story comes to mind… One of his employee’s wife was diagnosed with a heart condition…My father paid for the surgery, medication and rehabilitation in full… In addition, he personally took her blood pressure and checked other vital levels every Sunday on his home portable machines.”
Born to Rusi and Silloo Patel, Kaiwaan was an alumnus of St Mary’s High School and Bombay University. Meher threw light on the name of the company: "In the late 1970s my grandfather bought a property in Coonoor as a holiday/retirement home…He planned on starting a business growing and exporting herbs so they incorporated the name Nilgiri Herbs Private Limited.” The senior gentleman did not get around to starting his herb business. "When my parents moved to Coonoor and started the real estate and construction business, they decided to operate through Nilgiri Herbs Private Limited for sentimental reasons.” F. J.
◆ ◆ ◆
From the archive