Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Your Excellency the President, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

It gives me profound pleasure to be in Versova again to open the housing project which I inaugurated here almost exactly five years ago and to be performing the ceremony in the presence of such distinguished guests.

The Trustees of the Muniwarabad Charitable Trust and I are most happy and honoured to have His Excellency the President with us this morning. It is indeed a privilege and a very great encouragement to have him here.

Mawlana Hazar Imam and Her Highness Begum Salimah Saheba were felicitated at a join meeting of the Rotary Clubs of Bombay. New Bombay and Thane at Oberoi-Sheraton Hotel on Wednesday, 25th January,1978 when Mawlana Hazar Imam was presented a memento by Rotary International Director Soli Pavri. Following is the text of the speech delivered by Mawlana Hazar Imam on that occasion.
Mr. Chairman, Presidents and Members of the Rotary clubs, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I cannot begin this reply to your welcome address without expressing my gratitude to the leaders and governments of this city, of Bombay State and of all India for the kindness with which they have received me. This is a very special occasion for the Ismailis of India, and I speak for them all when I say how much I have appreciated the friendly co-operation which my community has received in the many details of preparation. I would specially like to thank His Excellency the Governor, the Chief Minister and his colleagues, the Chief Justice and the Commissioner of Police.

Mr. Chairman, Chief Minister, Your Worship the Mayor, Sheriff of Bombay, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I would like to begin by thanking the Chairman and Members of the Maharashtra Friendship Society for their very kind address and reception. My visit to Bombay is short and I am, therefore, all the more appreciative that this reception should be on my day of arrival.

It has given me the wonderful opportunity to meet once again the many friends whom I have not seen since my last visit here.

Mr President, Gentlemen

The topic I have chosen to talk to you about is wide and much too complicated to deal with fully in twenty minutes. I hope, however, to give you a sketch of what has been happening in East Africa during the last year or two, and in particular to give an idea of the role which the Asian communities have played, and the one which they have to play, whether they desire to or not, in the future.

I cannot begin this reply to your welcome address without expressing my gratitude to the leaders and governments of this city, of Bombay State and of all India for the kindness with which they have received me. This is a very special occasion for the Ismailis of India, and I speak for them all when I say how much I have appreciated the friendly co-operation which my community has received in the many details of preparation. I would specially like to thank His Excellency the Governor, the Chief Minister and his colleagues, the Chief Justice and the Commissioner of Police.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations at Dar-es-Salaam followed in August, 1946. To it thousands of people came from all parts of the world, especially lndia, Europe and the Middle East. Hundreds made the journey by air, thousands by train, by car and by lorry, from all parts of Africa, many enduring much hardship in travelling from such out of the way places as Abyssinia, Belgian Congo, Uganda. Convoys of cars came from South Africa.

At a quarter past five on the afternoon of Sunday, March 10, 1946, a deep hush fell upon the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay. Here over 100,000 people, from various parts of the world., had come to witness one of those magnificent ceremonies which arouse wonder and amazement in the minds of men. It was on this day, and at this hour, that His Highness the Aga Khan was to be weighed in diamonds to celebrate the sixtieth year of his Imamate. Seldom before can Bombay, even in its pageantry and glory, have looked upon such pompous ceremonies, such splendour and colour.

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