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Died: Edul Framroze Bhagwagar, 86, erstwhile president of the Nagpur Parsi Anjuman (NPA) and the Nagpur Parsi Gymkhana, on May 12, 2023, two days after he suffered severe cerebral hemorrhage when he was in Hyderabad to visit an ailing friend.
"During his tenure as president of the NPA and the Nagpur Parsi Gymkhana, his main endeavor was to bring the community together and help out the members in every possible way. His respect for the agiary and the priests serving the holy fire is legendary,” wrote Aspi Bapuna, current Anjuman president, in his letter of condolence to the family. Managing committee member since 1975, vice president from 1994 to 2001 and president from 2001 to 2007, for 32 years Bhagwagar had served the Anjuman before he chose to resign.
A week after his passing away, the Anjuman called an extraordinary general meeting on May 19 to pay tribute to their beloved past president and announced that they will be putting up his framed photograph, with other dear-departed persons of eminence, in the Dr Dadi Bulsara Memorial Hall.
It was during Bhagwagar’s presidentship that the Shree Nagpur and Kamthi Parsi Zarthosti Anjuman succeeded in foiling an attempt by Nagpur University to change the name of the Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Convocation Hall and Building to Dadasaheb Kalmegh Hall in 2002.
With his "love and respect for his fellow community members,” Bhagwagar was known to rush to the home of any deceased to render necessary help if required by the family, recalled Mehernosh Malamvala.
Bhagwagar was also a trustee of The J. N. Tata Parsi Girls High School and Junior College in Nagpur, the first school for girls in this region that continues to be one of the foremost schools even today. "His contribution as a trustee of our School was tremendous and we are going to miss him,” wrote managing trustee Thrity Patel, on behalf of the trustees, principal and staff of the School.
His mother Khorshed’s father, Ervad Edulji Kanga, was the first head priest of the Bai Hirabai Mullan Dar-e-Meher. Edul believed, "If we are to survive as a religion, change is inevitable and will definitely come. While a change in the mindset is definitely needed, it will take time. Thousand-year-old traditions cannot be eroded in 10 years.” Edul had expressed these views when 15 years ago, one of the television channels had sent its crew to the Nagpur Dar-e-Meher to cover the Parsi New Year celebrations.
Edul’s father Framroze was a businessman who had an aerated water and ice factories. Edul and his brother Navroz added a cold storage to the existing factories. "He was very successful as a businessperson, growing from humble beginnings to adding an entire cold storage unit to be the largest such ice factory in central India,” reported Edul’s son Dorab, adding, "He continued to mentor countless others on their business and careers. He embodied the Parsi businessman, being fair and not cutting corners, focusing on long-term vision and not short-term gains, and building an institution to last.”
After studying at Boys’ Town School in Nasik, Edul completed his BA and LLB from Nagpur before joining the family business. "Edul and I were blessed to have celebrated 60 years of a happy married life” last January, wrote his wife Dilnavaz (née Lalkaka), a regular Parsiana correspondent. They had known each other since he was 23 and she was 16 but Dilnavaz’s mother was insistent, "BA first, then MA-rriage” so they finally wed three years later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Daddy lived an exemplary life filled with joy, enthusiasm, happiness and excitement. He raised a wonderful, close family. He gave us solid values… He was popular and loved by all… He had his favorite cigar the night before, was planning a holiday to Bali with mom. He was so full of life,” son Naushad described his father’s fervor prior to suffering a cerebral stroke.
"Always young at heart and spirit,” the song Forever Young best encapsulated his live-and-learn attitude, commented Dorab. When Dorab left Nagpur for college, the father wrote his favorite quote in the son’s diary: "I complained because I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet.” Dorab, now a senior scientist in the US, valued too the father’s annual ritual of writing "a special letter just to me, multiple pages in longhand, on the bittersweet memories of my leaving India to study and ultimately settle in the US…” 
Daughter Gulnar noted, "My dad lived his life believing every little thing was a miracle. He found joy in the mundane and genuinely believed he was the luckiest person in the world.” His life’s mantra was "Enjoy life and help others.”
Daughter-in-law Ranjana valued Edul’s "wisdom on how to go about being a good human being, to learn from mistakes, to find the bright side in every situation, to learn from every religion, to connect with people who cross our paths, to do good work with all our heart without compromise or leaving the other obligated and above all to value each one’s unique life story.”
The only granddaughter among his six grandchildren, Somya recalled how he addressed her as "princess (and) gave me much more than royal treatment. He gave me lessons to carry forward in my life. He taught me strategy through the millions of card games we would play… He taught me humility through his wisdom on how to treat all living beings; and he taught me to be a little less serious in life and have more fun. He could make jokes about everything, even sitting in an urgent care in Mexico, needing stitches…”
A popular "Uncle” among his relatives and ever expanding circle of friends, he "showed by example what it is to live, to love, to laugh… every waking moment.”
The charismatic Edul is survived by his wife Dilnavaz, sons Naushad and Dorab, and daughter Gulnar Shyamuk Sidhwa.