Jamsheed Kanga (pictured) who passed away recently, was a man concerned with setting wrongs right and had deep respect for the law.
Kanga was born and brought up in Nagpur. His mother and my husband Edul’s mother were sisters, so Jamsheed was a close cousin. They lived near the Agiary, opposite the Gandhi Sagar Lake. Ervad Hormazdiar Pavri, who was the panthaky then, used to say that Jamsheed was a very mischievous boy who loved to run up and down on the parapet of the lake while people shouted for him to stop, with their hearts in their mouths!
This young boy grew up to be a man of great intelligence and integrity, an Indian Administrative Service officer holding many a position of authority in the government. He was also involved with the affairs of the Parsi community in Nagpur, Poona and Bombay.
Here is one small vignette that illustrates his impeccable honesty and respect for the law. After his eldest sister Jeru and her husband Jal Vazifdar passed away, as they had no children of their own they bequeathed their beautiful bungalow in Nagpur to Jeru’s brothers, Jamsheed and Jal.
Offers poured in to buy the large property for a handsome amount. But Jamsheed’s condition for sale was that only cheque payment would be accepted, not black money, even if it meant getting a smaller amount. He stuck to his principles and sold the bungalow to the person who fulfilled this condition. That was Jamsheed for you!
DILNAVAZ E. BHAGWAGAR
Nagpur