"I was totally overwhelmed by the warmth and large turnout of the merchant community… Many of the farmers had traveled 30 to 40 kms just to attend. I used to accompany my father when he did the purchasing in this district so it was a very memorable and nostalgic moment for me,” noted businessman Saam Chinoy. A marble bust of his father Astad was unveiled at the entrance of Market Yard by the merchant association of Bhainsa, a district town about 250 km from Secunderabad. Saam informed us that his father had ginning and pressing factories in several towns both in the current states of Telangana and Maharashtra, under the name Darabji Bros and Company. Astad’s father Nawab Erach Yar Jung was in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Astad’s daughter Sanober worked as an editor at Parsiana in the 1970s.
Marble bust of Astad Chinoy
Besides Saam, his grandson Jehangir was also present at the unveiling on February 23, 2021. Jehangir told Parsiana, "To witness the people gathered, who shared how Astad had influenced their lives, was humbling. Second and third generation merchants mentioned how my grandfather’s guidance and encouragement in growing and selling cotton on their own terms helped them build strong self-sustaining businesses from the ground up. Some of them compared working for Astad to having a government job in terms of the security they received. It was moving also to hear the people of Bhainsa recount various instances of humanitarian aid given by my grandfather.”
Saam noted that Astad served the merchant community of Bhainsa "for 48 years, where he encouraged the local merchants to do business and taught them the core values in life.” These values were enumerated and appreciated by member of the state legislative assembly Vittal Reddy, who formally unveiled the bust, municipal vice chairman Mohammed Jabir Ahmed and the chairman of the market committee Krishna Arjun. Ex member of parliament D. B. Patel, was present. "The courtesy shown by him to all classes of people, from the richest to the poorest was praised,” noted Saam.
Beyniaz Edulji