Fragments of Lalkaka and Pundole Family History

Hootoksi Tyabji, Shah Alam, 2014

Here are some fragments of family history and stories put together from here and there from my side of the family. My mother came from the Kharas and Lalkaka families and when she was 92, we sat together while she reminisced about her life.

“I was born in Bombay on the 12th June 1922 at the Lying-In Hospital opposite the Cathedral School. I was the youngest of 4 children, my brothers were Cavas and Sarosh and another baby who I never knew, as he died in infancy.

My maternal grandparents were Ratanbai and Jamsedji Kharas, who was also known as Motabavaji. He was the opposite of his wife, who was pious and deeply religious; he thought dasturjis (Parsi priets) should be locked up! He would often get my brother Cavas to take him for a ride on his Norton motorcycle; and whenever they came across a dasturji crossing the street he would shout “Salah ne maride!” (Kill the damn chap!) When my brother told Maiji (grandma) she was very angry and would go off to recite special prayers to save her husband’s soul!

My paternal grandparents were Pirojbai and Adeshir Lalkaka and I remember, they were such kind people.

I grew up in many different places. The first one I remember was a place called Jehangir Mansion on Hughes Road. Then we stayed at a place in Babulnath and then my papa, who was a well-known portrait artist, became the first Indian to hold the post of Deputy Director of the prestigious and only Art College in all of India, called the Jandshedji Jeejeebhoy School of Art. It was a very big position and we lived in a beautiful bungalow on the premises. My brothers and I had lots of place to play in the garden, and we were all very happy there. My papa was lucky and went all over India visiting the princely states and painting portraits of Maharajas, Governors and Viceroys and other famous people. I do not remember when it was that he was one of two artists selected to go to England to paint a nine-foot portrait of Queen Alexander and King George the fifth, and Queen Mary and Edward the eighth. The other artist was Mr. Bose from Calcutta and they both painted in Buckingham Palace and in Windsor Castle.

I had my Navjote when I was nine years old. My mother was not religious, and she never followed the Parsi customs, so I don’t know them! Zoroastrianism for me is Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds, that is all I know of it and a few prayers like Ashem Vohu and Yatha Ahu Vairyo, and that is all.

I went to the J. B. Petit School and studied till Matriculation, Standard VIII I think it was. My best friends were Piloo Manekji and Tehmurus Constable. We used to laugh and sing all day long!

During my childhood and teenage years, I was petrified of my mother and I can’t ever remember talking to her, and I don’t think she ever hugged me. She would tell me that she used to think that if she ever had a girl, she would throw her out of the window, she would often tell me this! One day when I felt quite bold and was angry I remember saying to her ‘why don’t you?”, and she replied, “How can I do such a thing, I was only joking!” She had a wonderful heart but no way of expressing it. When I was a child, she seemed very harsh to me.

My best memories are of our holidays in Matheran when Motabavaji, my grandfather, would hire a hotel called Brightlands and all of us kids, Cavas, Sarosh, Homi, Jal, Hilla with their parents Adi Mama and Shireen Mami would spend our summers there. We would go for long walks, ride ponies, and climb trees. There were lots of monkeys around and they were a nuisance. They would steal our food, snatch the clothes off the clothesline and make a horrible noise in the afternoon when the elders wanted to sleep. The boys decided to teach them a lesson and put old gramophone needles in slices of bread. But the monkeys were smarter than they were and when they took the bread, they would sit on the trees and pick out the needles and throw them back at us! Once Cavas & Sarosh gave them some local beer and the monkeys got drunk and fell around acting very funny. We laughed a lot, and the next morning they were fine and back to trouble us again!

Motabavaji who was extremely hard of hearing, and Maiji lived in Panchgani. One day some people came to visit and they announced that they had been blessed with a baby, a chokro (son), but Motabavaji heard Chor (thief), and responded “Oh yes, yesterday we had one as well!” Maiji was very embarrassed and asked him to be quiet!

Once we had driven from Bombay to Panchgani to stay with them and we were all seated at the table waiting for dinner to be served. They had a servant called Ramji who arrived with Motabavaji’s urinal which he thought was a jug and proceeded to pour water out of it in everyone’s glasses! We laughed so much but Motabavaji was ANGRY!

My first singing teacher was called Hilda Flanders and when she heard me sing on Children’s Radio, she decided she wanted to teach me. She had been a wonderful singer herself and was offered a recording contract with HMV but just before she was due to do that, she lost her voice. She was an excellent teacher and I enjoyed the lessons that I had with her.

Allen Carimbhoy our neighbour in Bombay, wanted me to go to the Julliard School of Music in New York and he said he could help me to get admission there. When I proposed this to my parents, my mother said, “It is pointless to waste money on a girl. You will soon get married and have children and all our money will be wasted.” At that time, I was upset but now I know that everything happens for the best!

I had a very unhappy childhood and I never ever understood what my parents were shouting and fighting about! I would go to the bathroom and cry and cry. I made a promise to myself that if I ever got married and had children, I would never fight with my husband or raise my voice and I kept my promise to myself. All three of you never heard us fight or shout, did you? I loved my father; he was the only one who was kind to me and he loved me very much and I loved him.

After my father retired, he and my mother would go to Mussourie for 6 to 8 months at a time. There was nothing for me to do there, so I stayed in Bombay with Roshan and Tehmurus Constable. During that time, your father was collecting money for the war widows through the Boy Scouts. He was putting on a variety show, and Roshan told him that I was a good singer, so he asked me to sing for the show. When he left, Roshan asked me if I liked him because she thought he was so handsome, and I replied that I did NOT because he gave me a very limp handshake!

Your papa fell in love with me when he heard me sing and we secretly went out together for one year. I sang Ave Maria at the Excelsior Theatre dressed as a nun. Dad came to see me and soon after that he proposed to me and I accepted his proposal without asking my parents. I knew he was the one for me and the rest of the story you know.

Oh yes! There is one more thing I want to say. I found out that I was pregnant with you when we were on the ship going from Bombay to the US for a Scout Jamboree. There was a lady who used to walk with me on deck sometimes and she carried a baby with a cute pug nose. I used to pray every night, “God if you give me a girl, please give her a cute pug nose, not a big fat one like mine, and that is why you have a pug nose!”

That is all I remember now. Nothing more to say but I will tell you if I think of anything.”

Here's a collection of newspaper clippings reviewing my mum's singing activities in Bombay. Click HERE to read.

80'th Birthday Tribute to my Mother -click to watch the video

The Loving Twin Towers of KL -click to read my article about my Parents in Parsiana of 7 January 2017

My father came from the Narielwalla and Pundole Families.

My great grandfather Dadabhai Rustomji Ghadiali was born in 1850 and lived in Surat (Gujarat) on a street called Pundole ni Pol. The early Parsee settlers were known by the professions they adopted, and these were incorporated into their surnames. A Lawyer’s surname was Lawyer or the Gujarati equivalent Vakil, a doctor, Doctor or Hakeem, a teacher, Master, an engineer Engineer, and so on. Great grandpa’s last name tells us that his family was in the watch making business and so they were called Ghadiali, or those who deal with watches.

Dadabhai Rustomji was one of four children and was overly ambitious even as a child. His great entrepreneurial spirit and his quest for adventure took him to seek his fame and fortune in Bombay.

He began his new life with his young wife Baimai Parekh, and he changed his family name from Ghadiali to Pundole after the street where he lived in Surat, Pundole ni Pol. Nobody in the family seems to know why he did this! Perhaps he wanted the option of changing his profession at some later date?

He leased a large property called Bolton House in the area we know today as Marine Lines, and lived there with his children and grandchildren. The street and surroundings have changed considerably since those early years, but Bolton House still stands and is being lived in even today!

In 1886 he established a family watch business called D.R.Pundole & Sons and he also bought over the Sincera Watch Co. where retail and wholesale business was conducted. His eldest child, my grandfather, Nowroji Dadabhai Pundole, was sent to Switzerland to learn about watches and clocks and while he was there, he set up an office and company called the Sincera Watch Co. in a town called La Choux-de-fonds. The company supplied goods and services for the family business in Bombay.

Grandfather lived in Switzerland for around four years and on his return to India, he set up his trademark ‘Beaumont’ and had the agency for top brands of watches and jewelry such as Mappin and Web Asprey, Cyma, Vulcain and Tissot.

He married Mehra Narielwalla from Allepy, Kerela. Can you guess her family’s business from her last name? Nariel is coconut in Gujarati, and yes, they owned and managed large coconut plantations and she spoke fluent Malayalam. My grandma lived next to the Cherian family and as a child she played with one of the future Governors of Bombay, Dr Cherian. He did not forget her and about 60 years later when she invited him to visit her in her home in Bombay, he gamely climbed three flights of stairs to meet her. She was over 70 at the time and they chatted away in Malayalam and re-kindled the memories they shared from their childhood days!

Mehra Narielwalla and Nowroji Pundole had five children, two daughters and three sons, of whom my Papa, Noshir Nowroji Pundole, was the eldest boy. He was the absolute favorite of his grandfather with whom the family lived. His earliest memories include being dressed up on Sunday so that he could ride in grandpa’s splendid carriage drawn by two beautiful horses. They rode along the sea front and stopped by the balloon seller where papa picked out the balloons he fancied. He was the only one of his five siblings to enjoy this privilege!

D.R.Pundole & Sons was a flourishing business and did exceedingly well till the onset of the Second World War. With a ban on imports, the business dwindled, and grandpa became ill and finally suffered a stroke and died in 1936.

My Papa was only 15 at the time, but being the eldest son, he had to shoulder the responsibility of running the business and keeping things going to help the family survive.

As he was underage, he had to be given a special dispensation by the Governor of the Central bank to be able to sign cheques. Papa did a marvelous job at work, continued going to night school and was actively involved in the Boy Scouts Movement.

In 1944 he met my mother Roshan Jehangir Lalkaka, the daughter of one of India’s most prominent artists, Mr J. A. Lalkaka and Mrs Tehmina Kharas. They married on 27th March 1945 and soon after, my father handed over the watch business to his younger brother Kali and his sister Naju who in later years turned her share of the business into a framing shop.

In the late 50’s, Kali’s good friend M F Hussein (one of India’s foremost contemporary artists) advised him to convert the watch shop into an art gallery which he did, and he never looked back!

In days gone by, the name Pundole was associated with the finest watches and jewelry. Today it is associated with the best art India has on offer. Kali’s son Dadiba & his wife Khorshed have taken over the business and the Pundole Art Gallery is not only the foremost gallery in India but is well known world-wide and promotes and auctions Indian Art all over the world.

Noshir and Roshan Pundole have three children, Shehernavaz, Kershasp and Hootoksi, five grandchildren and at the time of writing this, one great grandchild. They moved to Malaysia in the early 60’s and live in Kuala Lumpur.

Remembering my parents, Roshan & Noshir Pundole

Noshir Nowroji Pundole was born on the 1st of March 1921 to Mehra Narielwala and Nowroji Pundole. He had two older sisters Maki and Naju, and two younger brothers Russi and Kali. He was clearly his grandfather’s favorite, and everyone in the family knew this, especially young Noshir, who was accustomed to getting his way with just about everything.

Noshir was articulate, excelled at school, and grew up to be a self-taught and phenomenally successful businessman. He was a principled man with an acute moral compass. His sense of responsibility towards his family was called upon when his father died suddenly, just as he was finishing high school. Being the eldest son, he took over the family watch business and was able to successfully look after his mother and his siblings.

He introduced Lionisim to India and to various other countries in South East Asia and was affectionately known as “The Father of Lionism in India”. The present International President of Lions International, Mr Bob Corlew had this to say about Papa, “Noshir inspired devotion of service in every Lion he met. Because of his inspiration and leadership, that legacy of service will continue with new generations of Lions.”

These publications are about Lion Noshir Pundole. Click to read or download them...

40 Years of Service to Mankind: The Lions Club of Bombay
Lion Noshir Pundole's Speeches
An Indian Offering
The Man Who Brought Lionism to Singapore
The Indian Lion

Noshir moved to Malaysia in the 1960’s to set up a pioneering palm oil processing plant for the Birla organization. After a few years it was purchased by the Malaysian Government, but he continued to live in Malaysia. In 1977, he started a property development business which he ran successfully till he retired in 2003.

In later life he fulfilled his dream of acquiring a master’s degree in Business from the University of California. His thesis was based on the processing of Edible Oil in Malaysia and was later used by the Government as a guideline for more effective practices in edible oil production. Noshir amply provided for his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for whom he lived and worked his entire life.

Roshan Jehangir Lalkaka known as “The Nightingale of Bombay” was born on the 12th of June 1922 to Tehmina Kharas and Jehangir Lalkaka, one of India’s foremost portrait artists of his time. She was the youngest of three children; her eldest brother Cavas was her favorite and always interceded on her behalf with their mother Tehmina, who made no bones about the fact that she preferred her sons to her daughter and consequently Roshan was her dad’s favorite. Sarosh was her younger brother with whom she climbed trees, sang songs, and chased monkeys.

Roshan Lalkaka lived a privileged lifestyle and her world revolved around her father, her cousins, music, her friends, and her dog Toby. She loved the outdoors and would rather play with her brothers than study at school. She would spend many hours in her father’s studio where she learned art appreciation and developed an uncanny eye for spotting a masterpiece in a junkshop or a charity bazar. She once picked up an unsigned painting for a few dollars, brought it home and insisted it was a painting by the famous Indian artist M F Hussain and she was right, it was! Many years later the artist acknowledged and signed it, and that painting has been one of the family’s best investments!

Roshan had a zest for life and lived it to the full! She did not know what it meant to be diplomatic and she said things as she thought them. She had a passion for jewelry and loved creating styles in the saris, which she seldom wore. She was the most loving, caring, and compassionate person I know and never failed to put her hand in her pocket to help anyone in need.

Roshan was blessed with a beautiful singing voice and after graduating from school, studied music. She became a very accomplished singer performing extensively in Bombay on stage and in choirs, for All India Radio and as a playback singer for Bollywood films. She also gave voice lessons and taught music at schools. She soon became known as the Nightingale of Bombay.

“A concert at the Scots Kirk was a most notable one Mrs Roshan Pundole, well, her voice is indeed a gift from Heaven. Her Handel selection of “Angels Ever Bright and Fair” and Edward Germane’s “Love is Meant to Make us Glad” proved that she can easily transcend the austere heights of classicism and the lyrical qualities of modern composers with the rare charm and deportment which has won the hearts of all who have heard her sing” The Times of India, August 14 1955.

Noshir was an avid Boy Scout, and in 1944 he organized a charity event to raise funds for the war, at which Roshan sang. He was completely smitten by her singing, and so began their love story and a union that lasted 71 beautiful years. We celebrated their 71^st wedding anniversary in our home in Shah Alam.

They were married at Albless Baugh on the 27th March 1945, when Roshan was 23 and Noshir 24 years old. They started life with extraordinarily little, living as paying guests and working side by side at their bookstore and laundry, with Roshan always supporting and encouraging her ambitious husband. Together, over the years, they built a loving and harmonious nest for their three children, Shehernavaz, Kershasp and Hootoksi.

My tribute to my parents can never be adequately put into words because nothing I write can properly express my debt of gratitude and love for them. They were exemplary in so many ways; as a singer, a Lion, a businessman, philanthropists, and they always taught by example rather than words.

My parents were very spiritual people and Pa spent hours in prayer, meditation, and contemplation. Zoroastrianism was practiced in our home; traditions were upheld but rituals were kept to a minimum. We went to the fire temple on auspicious days and were taught to think for ourselves, and not to follow things blindly. Pa would say “My thoughts and opinions must never be yours unless they resonate with you”. We were encouraged to respect all religions and to worship one God, Ahura Mazda, called by so many different names. We saw our parents living by the Zoroastrian tenets of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds, which they performed faithfully and diligently.

Our parents supported and encouraged us in everything we did and accepted our opinions and way of life, even when it was totally different from theirs. Education was especially important, and we were encouraged to excel but were never made to feel inadequate if we came home with poor results. For them it was enough that we did our best! Pa made us “check and double-check” every document, paper, and fact!

We were taught the value of family and money and we learned to respect both. Papa would say “Cut your coat according to your cloth” and “If you can’t afford it, you can’t have it, simple as that!” Mama was immensely proud of her 300-year-old roots in the Lalkaka family, and as children she delighted in taking us to the annual general meeting of the Lalkaka Family Fund. She encouraged us to keep in touch with our relatives all over the world. She loved helping people and animals and would constantly teach us proverbs in Gujarati and in English. Her favorite was “There is no religion higher than Truth”. “Spare the Rod and spoil the child”, “and “everything happens for the best and in its time” She did not merely spout these sayings, she lived and practiced them.

Roshan & Noshir moved to Malaysia in the early 60’s and their home in Kuala Lumpur became the focal point for all the Parsis who lived there. Pa was the guardian of the community and being a Navar (hereditary priest) he performed several Jashans, Navjotes and Death ceremonies. Yazdi Bankwalla, a member of the tiny Parsi Community, had this to say about my parents “They were like the oasis, providing care, encouragement and nourishment to many for decades. They smiled much and loved life, strong willed and determined. This inspiration of theirs will live in the hearts of many. They were the loving Twin Towers of KL and much more.”

Once, I took a taxi to their apartment in Kuala Lumpur, and as the driver dropped me off, he asked “Do you know the lady who always wears a scarf and drives a blue Mini? She lives in this building and helps everybody.” When I told him, the lady was my mother, he refused the fare I owed him. I met another woman who told me that she had met my Ma when she was a saleslady in a shop. Mama saved her eyesight by getting her timely treatment and paying for it.

Ma volunteered at the Bukit Nanas Home for orphans who were disabled victims of war. She raised money for them, taught them songs, bought them gifts and was the light in their lives till many of them died. She did this for over 20 years that she lived in Kuala Lumpur. She also worked tirelessly for the SPCA raising funds and finding homes for animals that had been abandoned.

Pa was disciplined in his thoughts and his habits. You could set your clock by his actions in the day. To him, prayer was of paramount importance, and nothing came in the way of time set aside for it. Physical exercise, eating regular meals and a quick nap in the afternoon were part of his routine.

Ma loved a good party, and as much as she enjoyed having people around her, Pa treasured his solitude and enjoyed silence. He was an honest, upright, modern man with old fashioned ideas and principles. My parents loved and cherished each other and were proud of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In the last years of their lives, Robert and I were privileged to be able to care for ma and pa in our home in Shah Alam. They aged gracefully and took their old age challenges and trials with dignity and in silence. They never complained or made demands and were role models to us till the last days of their lives.

My parents left a legacy of Wisdom and Love to be emulated and passed on from one generation to the next. They continue to abide in our hearts and memories of them always make us smile and fill me with joy!

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE KHARAS AND LALKAKA FAMILIES - for names please refer to the key.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE PUNDOLE AND NARIELWALLA FAMILIES - for names please refer to the key.