I first read about Dada Kartar Lalvani when I was watching Sindhi Sarvech programme a few years back. For someone who was just starting to explore his Sindhi identity, the video was quite fascinating - an elderly Sikh gentleman speaking in chaste Sindhi with a fellow Hindu Sindhi. The story of Dada Sahib's journey over the last six decades has been a fascinating one - about how partition forced them to give up their comfortable life in Karachi to the daily struggles of being a migrant family in Bombay to pursuing higher education in UK/Germany to being the first Indian to start a Pharmaceutical company in United Kingdom!
My interest in knowing more about the Sindhi Sikh community started post watching this interview. Regular readers of the blog will recall an earlier post on the close relationship between Hinduism and Sikhism in Sindh and how plurality is embedded in Sindhis. The closeness is also evident from the fact that a lot of families (Hindu Sindhis) still perform the Gurudwara ceremony of “Anand Karaj” to solemnize weddings.
Dada Sahib was born in 1931 in Karachi to a Sikh family. He emigrated to UK in late fifty's and completed his PhD from University of Bonn in Germany in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He returned back to England to start "Vitabiotics" in 1971 - a pharmaceutical company that is currently the largest vitamin company in UK with revenues of over GBP 300 Million.Dada Sahib has also been awarded Order of British Empire for his exceptional services. The company is now run by his able son, Tej Lalvani who is a regular judge at the business incubator show Dragon Den, UK.
Lalvani family is an illustrious one with Dada sahib's brothers - Gul and Partap Lalvani being the founders of the global telecommunications company Binatone - named after their sister Bina Ramani ( Lalvani).
Dada Sahib's fascinating journey is a true testimony to the entreprenuial Sindhi spirit - of surviving and succeeding against all odds. For many of us who are currently navigating challenging circumstances, Dada Sahib's story should serve as an excellent example to never give in and continue to face the circumstances with sheer grit, determination and hard work. I am sure good days are just round the corner.
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| Dr. Kartar Lalvani ( Picture Credit: Daily Mail/Internet) |
I end with the link to Dada Sahib's Sindhi Sarvech interview. For those of us who have not heard about Sindhi Sarvech program before, this is a series of recorded interview hosted by Dada Ram Jawaharani with notable Hindu Sindh personalities. I belive the series was shot around 15 years back. All episodes are around 25-30 minutes long and are available on youtube ( Sahyog Foundation). I find these to be an excellent medium to understand and explore Sindhi heritage. I strongly recommend watching the series to anyone interested in knowing more about our roots.
