The Wheel of Life

Apart from the ups and downs in business, Nanik had other kinds of setbacks to overcome.

Geeta and Nanik had to endure the heartrending loss of their third child, a six-month old son. Only parents who have lost their child can comprehend the horror of the situation involved. The blow fell particularly hard on Geeta. Nanik's love and enduring support enabled her to get through the worst of it.

Not soon after this, Nanik met with a near-fatal car accident. He was driving his car from Khapoli to Bombay, with his friend. As the car sped down the highway, it encountered a stretch of road with an oil-spill. Nanik lost control of the vehicle, which somersaulted twice. Thankfully, his friend was relatively unhurt, but Nanik sustained severe neck injuries.

On examining the X-rays, several doctors felt that he would be paralyzed for the rest of his life. The impact of the accident had missed Nanik's spinal cord by a needlepoint, though it fractured his fifth and sixth cervical bones. It was a traumatic time for Geeta and her two young daughters. Their prayers were answered when Nanik made a recovery under medical supervision, albeit after three weeks of total bed-rest, followed by months of extreme caution.

Looking back on the harrowing experience, Nanik feels very grateful that he was spared. He says, "It was only by God's grace that I had a miraculous escape."

In 1976, Nanik and Geeta booked a lovely flat in Dadar Parsi Colony to accommodate the needs of their growing family. Over the next three years, they invested a lot of resources in painstakingly planning their new home. Geeta went to great length to design the kitchen exactly the way she wanted it. In anticipation of shifting residence, the Rupanis found a buyer for their ground floor flat at Dutt Kutir and received a down payment for it. Nanik had reached an understanding with the buyer that he would continue to occupy the premises until his flat in Dadar Parsi Colony was ready. 

On the eve of their shift, Nanik and Geeta's dream was shattered to bits. Like a bolt out of the blue, they received a "stay order" from the Court. Referring to a legal covenant dating back to 19th century, the court order dictated that only a Parsi was entitled to occupy a flat in the Colony, even though the property could be owned by a non-Parsi.

They were caught in a strange situation — they had to vacate the flat they had sold, but could not live in the flat they had bought. They were left high and dry. Faced with this emergency, Nanik began an intensive search for a new residence. After much difficulty, he was offered a flat in the very same building — Dutt Kutir — on the second floor. The owner knew well the dire straits Nanik was in, and asked for a sum higher than the prevailing market rates. Nanik had no option but to agree.

Five years later, Nanik booked a flat in Jehangir Towers, a new high-rise that was being built on Napean Sea Road, one of the most desired and serene residential areas in Bombay. Its price tag was well beyond the Rupanis' financial reach at the time. Nanik, however, was determined to procure this new home overlooking the grand Arabian Sea. Over a long span of time, he had to honour monthly instalments of Rs. 1 lakh each — a substantial amount in those days — towards purchase of the luxurious flat. Nanik endured many sleepless nights wondering how he would pay the instalments.

It was at about this time that Mr. Mehta of Pheroze Framroze & Company approached Nanik with a proposal. Pheroze Framroze was a leading company dealing in the foreign exchange business. Its existing office in the shopping arcade of the Air India Building was right next to Nanik's Eastmen Art Emporium. If the Emporium would move and make way, Mr. Mehta sug-gested, Pheroze Framroze & Co. would enlarge its office area. For Nanik, this was a timely offer indeed — the proceeds would help him finance, in part, the purchase of his new home. Moreover, the Emporium's profits were suffering due to the exorbitant rent it had to pay to Air India. Mr. Mehta readily agreed even to buy up the entire stock of the Emporium as part of the deal. Even so, it was with a heavy heart that Nanik parted with his dearly loved Emporium. He had put his heart into it for twelve long years.

He sold off his flat at Dutt Kutir in Wadala, as well as his property at Dadar Parsi Colony. He also borrowed funds from his close friends who knew him to be trustworthy and reliable. With the help of these proceeds, he purchased his new flat at Jehangir Towers. He moved into it in 1986, with Geeta and his two daughters, Neeta and Reena. He was forty-five. Nanik recalls the bitter dilemma his family was in when they sold their flat in Dutt Kutir, but were unable to move into their home in Dadar Parsi Colony for legal reasons. "Geeta, especially, was very sad with this unforeseen development. But as it turned out, an even better opportunity presented tself in time. Today we appreciate the fact that we are much happier with our house at Napean Sea  Road than we could have ever been elsewhere in the city. So whatever happened, happened for the best. Our new home was a dream fulfilled." 

New winds were blowing across the country in the 1980s, bringing with them the fragrance of economic liberalization and fresh opportunity. Electronics and telecommunications were developing at a rapid pace. Nanik was one of the very few Indian businessmen who realized ahead of time that this fast expanding zone would comfortably accommodate his towering ambitions. 

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