Platinum Jubilee

The day we were waiting for had dawned. Sitaram Hivarkar, the grand old patriarch of the Club, was felicitated this morning at a special ceremony in the Garden with all members as well as his wife and children in attendance.

Yusuf Rassiwala presents memento

SITARAM HIVARKAR

He had celebrated his birthday last week (see post of June 11) with a lavish treat; so it was our turn today to pay a humble tribute to the man who has meant so much to the Club since its inception. What better occasion for this than his 75th birth anniversary?
To our good fortune, Sitaram’s wife, two sons, daughter and a grandson had accompanied him. While the Club’s biggies comprising Srichand Arora, Monthi Serrao, Harbans Kaur (all founding members) and others received them warmly, Shekhawat garlanded Sitaram, followed by Yusuf Rassiwala presenting him a crystal glass memento (similar to the one Ved Prakash Grover received on his 75th anniversary last year).

The Hivarkar family

Razia and Jagmohan pay poetic tribute

Before long, Razia Khan and Jagmohan Papneja took over the stage, waxing eloquent and bouncing off couplets in praise of the man we all love and respect deeply.
The best part though were the little-known anecdotes Rassiwala narrated about his association with Sitaram and how much he has been able to imbibe from him over the years. “Today, whenever someone praises me for something like conducting the exercises, I say that there is another man, Sitaram-ji who deserves to be thanked more!” Such admissions in humility without flattery, lent an air of poignancy to a morning otherwise marked by celebratory hugs and handshakes over breakfast packs and countless rounds of hot tea.

Section of the audience

Vote of thanks by Vinay Hivarkar

In the end Sitaram’s son, Vinay Hivarkar delivered a vote of thanks on behalf of his family and even promised to join us for the daily exercises.
It was a short, but memorable event, befitting the man in whose honour it was organized. Many such events will be organized in future to celebrate many more platinum jubilees – Teja Singh Bhambra, Arora and Shekhawat being next in the line. But this one was special as it was held for one who had laid the foundations of the club. As Rassiwala summed it up: “It was a simple and graceful celebration, full of heart!”
Harish Wadhwa:
Hearty congratulations and greetings to our Sitaram-ji on this Platinum Birthday. A simple and a soft- spoken person, who once conducted the exercises and now voluntarily also conducts the yoga sessions, truly deserves this celebration. There's nothing better than to show our loved friend, that his life has been an inspiration to many. So why not make this special 75th birthday truly memorable? We wish that all his dreams and wishes for the coming years are fulfilled.
Jagmohan Papneja:
Sitaram-ji, we all members of the Big Laaf family are delighted to felicitate you as a yoga guru, guide and friend. We take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to your family for joining us in the celebrations. On the completion of your 75th birthday, we wish you a long, healthy, peaceful and cheerful life. May God bless us to witness many more years of your fruitful life.