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"It has taken us nine years but at last the book is finally out,” remarked Noshir Shroff, director, Ruttonjee Estates Continuation Limited, at the launch in Hong Kong (HK) of The Ruttonjees: Industry, Foresight, Charities. "Our original intention for this book was twofold: to preserve the history of the family for future generations; and more importantly as this book will also be in government libraries and universities, we wanted the local community, especially the local youth, to appreciate that it was not only the hardworking local population and the British administration that made HK a success, but also ethnic minorities who played an important part.”

Explaining the genesis of the book, Shroff recounted the meeting in 2015 when "the author Carl Lau visited our office in Ruttonjee House and met with my uncle Rusy and aunt Purviz (Shroff), Ranoo Wasan (director of Ruttonjee Estates Continuation Ltd) and me. Lau was doing his doctorate research in Sham Tseng, a village in the New Territories which many of us will have visited for their famous goose restaurants. The elder villagers kept recalling the Ruttonjee name to Lau. Jehangir Ruttonjee (who had adopted Rusy and his siblings, and later became Rusy’s father-in-law) was building a brewery in the area in the 1930s. The villagers recalled how they wanted a piece of his land for a school and a clinic, and were prepared to purchase this from Jehangir who told them he would not sell but instead gave the land to them. Uncle Rusy related stories of the days when he visited the brewery by sampan (flat-bottomed wooden boat). 

"After the meeting I asked Carl if he would be interested in researching and writing a book not only about the brewery but the many other activities of the Ruttonjee-Shroff family. I approached uncle Rusy to fund this endeavor, and Carl approached Prof Tik Sang Liu of the South China Research Centre of the H. K. University of Science and Technology. Both gave their blessings…”

The "beautifully crafted, non-commercial publication… chronicles the remarkable history and philanthropic endeavors of the Ruttonjees,” stated Purviz when earmarking two copies of the book for Parsiana. 

As briefly recounted by Noshir, patriarch Hormusjee Ruttonjee was the first from the family to arrive in HK in 1884. He soon set up his business, trading in wine, spirits and provisions, and later diversified into hospitality and real estate. Son Jehangir consolidated and expanded the venture by establishing a brewery and distillery while providing for the education, health and spiritual needs of the villagers. 

  way for Ruttonjee House at the Ruttonjee Centre (top)

On the personal front, there were disappointments. A schism between Jehangir and his father lasted for several decades until the Japanese occupation of the territory. The loss of Jehangir’s first daughter Tehmi to tuberculosis resulted in the founding of the Ruttonjee Hospital. In memory of his second daughter who succumbed to cancer stands the Freni Care and Attention Home in Shui Fai Terrace, housing nearly 230 residents.

Rusy’s philanthropy was also legendary. In 2017 he set up the Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation to help the disadvantaged. That was two months before he passed away at the age of 100. Purviz was for many decades very active as a volunteer at Mother’s Choice (a home for abandoned children) and is now their patron. 

Noshir appreciated the presence of the Consul General of India Satwant Khanalia, and Prof John Leong Chi-yan, erstwhile chairman of the HK Hospital Authority who in his foreword in the book mentioned that Dhun Ruttonjee (Jehangir’s son) and Rusy had served as chairmen of the Hospital Authority founded in 1990 to oversee public medical care services. Chi-yan further wrote, "The public healthcare system in HK is heavily and generously subsidized by the government but needs the cooperation, energy and financial contributions of such philanthropists as these in order to fully carry out its mission.”  

Yet another foreword to the book was contributed by previous HK Chief Executive Sir Donald Tsang who could not attend the event but had lauded the Shroffs for commissioning the writing of this book that will "no doubt enrich the historical record of this extraordinary community” just as it had given him "an opportunity to express my deep personal gratitude and admiration towards the two families and more generally towards the wider Parsi community in HK.”

Besides acknowledging the contribution of all those who helped bring the book to fruition — the author, editors, publishers, those who shared valuable information, as also those who organized the launch event — Noshir named "Joanna Wong in our Ruttonjee office for keeping us all on track these last nine years. Without her, this book would probably not have been completed.” 

Two months after the launch on June 25, 2024 at the Hong Kong Club, a couple of copies of the coffee table book were parceled and readied for dispatch to Parsiana with a covering letter from Purviz hoping we would "enjoy reading the book.” However, the ever tightening government control in India demands that a sender’s confidential data be first divulged before permitting entry of overseas literature. Parsiana needed to patiently wait for four months until kind Samaritans from HK (members of the Jokhi family) carried the books to Bombay.                      PARINAZ GANDHI