Shri Gulabchand Chechani touched so many lives in so many ways. Let’s all come together and celebrate his life and legacy by sharing cherished memories, or a few thoughts.

Walking was your passion , Fitness was your obsession, You taught us many life lessons, With folded hands we pray to God for your peaceful journey ahead ..... Will miss your presence in our lives , But your memories will keep us alive . Jai Shankar

My papa , our papa , a precious pearl in our lives ! A majestic man who lived a majestic life on his terms but was bullied a lot in his last few years by me .i have so many precious moments ,memories with him that it’s difficult to put everything in writing !He was a fighter , a stubborn man who never give up in life (an attitude which we all kids have inherited ) and a will power to keep learning and live a healthy life .He influenced everyone whoever in contact with him for a better life style .my hands shiver as I think of him in past !!

I vividly remember my childhood spent in Gwalior , when we had sports day in school ,along with our medals he also used to get medals for winning in parents races . And at times more than us .

He always used to go on long foreign trips to different countries to promote Gwalior Rayon along with Mandeliyaji and Babu ( birlaji ) for long durations and on his return we waited eagerly for our share of goodies . I remember Once he brought some sweets from Milan and all family friends were there to taste it . I also remember strutting around proudly in beautiful frocks , dresses and ribbons ( I still have ) brought by him . Latter I did all my wedding shopping ,Saries and jewellery with him only .

I got married in Modinagar and Life with him in Modinagar was a treat and I got to do so many things there. Whether I went for movies/shopping to Delhi or Meerut ,or to learn guitar or painting with friends Or do my MA , he never stopped me but gave full freedom and took pride in all his kids achievements!

It was surely very encouraging when he could come to my various art exhibits and open my solo show here in Ahmedabad recently .

He had an excellent memory always told us various stories of his life in Shahapura , Pilani , Gwalior .and of his different trips

My only regret is I couldn’t make him write / finish writing his memories .

I am very happy that my son could learn so many things from him and papa could meet one of my grand daughter and fly kites with her .

I love you papa , I miss you papa forever . forever !! No one can fulfill a void left by you in my life .

Always your loving daughter

Amita Phumbhra

Papa has been the hero in my life and it will always stay that way. It is hard to believe I won’t be able to see him, talk to him, or feel his presence. I wish I was able to spend more time with him. In my childhood, I remember he used to make my hair and bring beautiful new ribbons from wherever he travelled. He was the one who always gave me bath and took me to school. I recall playing my games and saying I would not drink milk if he would not drop me off. We used to go on a bike, with me sitting on the handlebar.

I always enjoyed cooking with him. He always happened to invite people at the last minute and mom used to get upset, so then he would say “my daughter and I will cook” and we would always grind the chatni with the stone grinder. When he cooked, he really enjoyed the various smells, and taught me to how to understand the smells and appreciate every flavor. He loved all fruits and vegetables. He never told mom how to run the household, but was always there to help her. When there was no servant he helped in cleaning and even in the kitchen. He was very hard working without any complaints. I never heard him say that he was tired because he was always ready.

He loved music and loved to sing. He used to take us to listen to poets, ghazals, and various singers. Even late night programs we used to watch and enjoy. Kaka Hathrasi - I still remember how much I laughed.

Papa was a wrestler, and though he would fight for sport, he never raised his voice or said any hurtful words to anybody –always very polite. When he talked, a smile would spread across his face with passion for any subject.. Papa loved to travel. He would always be making plans to go out for picnics with friends and relatives and to have his favorite pard and chicken. He had all types of friends from various backgrounds and religions. He spoke a couple of languages. We had very good memories of different travels with him.

I used to paint and do embroidery, crochet, & bead work. Parents never stopped me - I painted all the valences in the house without asking them. Papa bought my purses to give for presents – it would make me so happy. In Mumbai when I had my first art show he had to go out of town. Without telling me he asked a set designer to create a beautiful display of my painted sarees. and gave me new saree to wear. He was very thoughtful and cared about everyone he came in contact with.

His choice of clothes was outstanding. I still wear many of the sarees and jewelry he chose for me. I loved what he bought – one red chiffon saree for mom with black and white embroidery always stood out. His choice of fabrics, furniture, all was an inspiration for my appreciation and interest in the various facets of the arts.

Even though we lived in the US, I still had many chances to spend time with him. I saw another side of him when he was having surgery. His nervousness was showing, but he did his best to put on a brave face. He cried easily. He was sick, but still ready to socialize. His face would light up when he sees anyone. He loved being around people and was not afraid to talk to anybody. I was always very shy, and he did his best to change me. I made him upset sometimes, but now I do love meeting people.

The pooja briefcase of Papas he would always hold onto with so much respect - until now he really never put it down anywhere - or let anyone else carry it. He was very firm in his beliefs. He would hold it in his hands even when he was tired.

As he got older, he became a firm believer in exercise and a healthy diet He spent his time researching and collecting material from different authors on healthy food; he would read and make notes of every book he bought. He contacted many manufacturers about how to better change their products – and followed his own advice until his last breath.

Papa - I hope I can follow your path, do my work with my heart, a smile, and according to my beliefs. I am going to miss you. Before COVID I was hoping to have more time to spend to help finish some writings, but I am too late. My advice to everyone is not to wait if you are thinking about doing something, just do it as tomorrow may never come. It is still hard to think about my next visit; it will be so different without your presence. Beautiful memories are a blessing that will stay with me, I thank God to have you as my dad. I love you and know you are in the good hands of God. Please always keep blessing and guiding us.

I am so sorry to hear this sad news. He was loved by all of us. May his soul rest in peace. Deepest condolences to you and to your family.

Alok agarwal

Arun I am very sorry to hear about our Gulabji may God bless him and his soul rest in peace. He was such a wonderful human being and inspiration for all of us.

Rashid

Dear Arun

We are shocked to get the news of the Sad demise of your dad

Please accept our heartfelt condolences

Let the good Lord give you and your whole family the strength to bear this great loss

Gulabjee was our guide and inspiration in keeping ourselves fit in Joggers’s Park Bandra

May his soul Rest In Peace

With lots regards

Jose Madan

We all are deeply saddened by the news of having lost our most respected friend

We all shall pray to god to give you and your family the strength to bear this irreparable loss Satish Gupta

Dear Arun. We all at Joggers Park are really saddened to hear about respected Gulabjis demise

I pray to lord May his soul Rest In eternal peace in his heavenly abode and lord gives you and the family courage to bear this great loss. Kindly accept my heart felt condolences

Kakubhai

The great legend of his time , Sh.G.C Chechani, I came to know him in Dec 1986 when I visited him for discussion regarding marriage of his son with my daughter Rita. During conversation I found him wordly wise and intelligent person. Before & after marriage I had numerous occasions to meet & remain in his company for hours and found him a total disciplinarian . He was loved by his family & friends all over. He achieved the status & position in life by hard work & sincerity to the cause. My loving tribute to him

Papa was a very charismatic personality. When I first met him in October 1972, he impressed me by his ability to communicate with people of all ages. I was 20 years younger than him but he treated me like a friend. Everyone knows that he was a extremely talented salesman. He was a dedicated person and worked very hard to accomplish desired results. I learned the meaning of hard work from him and even to this day, I follow his teachings. He will be missed by everyone that knew him. He always elevated me to the level of the legend Andre Agassi, not for my tennis skills but for my hair style. I pray for his soul to Rest In Peace.

Whenever we met him, we never turned empty hands...he always gave us teachings which he followed all his life...

From all the time spent I could conclude to learn his life mantra keep smiling and stay healthy stay fit - exercise, good food and love for yourself..

He will always be missed and his words will always stay with us..

This is my 69th birthday celebration in the pandemic 15.03.2021. I am going to miss his love and affection. We will miss playing cards limit game every Sunday after lunch. He was a solid pillar behind all of us to give us guidance, and strength. He was a fighter till the end.

I was or rather am his youngest and favourite . He was always worried about me and my work , always asking me if i am going for my walk and if i am earning enough .

I remember everything about him . I remember at one point in his working days he was the C in ABC of Indian Textiles . Regrettably he never got the accolades and fame he should have in his career .

I have inherited from him his love for old hindi movies and songs .

I shall miss him forever .

A favourite line of mine from so many western movies as a tribute to him.

“ and he walked away alone into the sunset “

Who would say he was 94 .. always smiling with so much positive vibes.. ram rod straight.. he defied his age!!

Our last memories of him are from Karans wedding. He was so happy and proud looking after every one talking to every one. A people’s person indeed.

So much to learn from his life

Sharing this picture of our lockdown facetime with Papa Amma.

Sonu Rohit 

Mumbai

My hero, my mentor, my Dadu.

From stenographer to textile magnate, your journey was nothing short of heroic. Along the way you wore so many different hats - amateur wrestler, cinema attendant, sales & marketing exec, fitness enthusiast, food & health entrepreneur, a self-taught law student and undoubtedly the best son, husband, brother, father, friend, grandfather, great grandfather anyone could've asked for.

You always lead by example and those examples inspire me each and every day to think big, chase down my dreams, create value, build a legacy that'll live beyond me and always stick to my values & principles. I am what I am because of you. I hope I can achieve a fraction of what you did during your lifetime and carry your legacy forward.

Everywhere you went you were always the centre of attention and naturally so with that charming smile, your sense of style, those dashing looks and a conversation full of positivity, knowledge and wisdom. I wish you could've left - with people around you just the way you lived your life. But I'm sure you would never regret it, as I always saw you look at the positives and never the negatives.

I know you told me to believe in God and trust him, but I have a confession to make I've always had an insincere relationship with him but now I can finally look up and pray to someone who I truly believe in. I thank my lucky stars that you were there to make me smile, keep me from crying, feed me patiently, teach me how to walk, watch me grow up, build my own business and watch me get married. You'll forever be my guiding light

To whoever knew him, think about him for a moment, he'd love the attention In return, I'll leave you with a message he'd given me on my 18th Birthday: He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.

PS: Haan Dadu maine haath dho liye or kela kha liya

आदरणीय भाईसाहब, आपका स्मरण हमारे प्राण हैं आपका स्नेह हमारी पूंजी है आपकी शुरूआत हमारी सिद्धी है और आपका आशीष हमारी शक्ति  है आपको भूल पाना मुश्किल ही नहीं नामुमकिन है ।

।। श्रद्धांजली ।।

आदरणीय साहजी साहब ( गुलाब चंदजी ) के चरणों में शत शत नमन है ।

आप चेचानी परिवार के बरगद के वृक्ष

थे ।कठिन परिस्थितियों में भी हमेशा

चेहरे पर मुस्कान रहती थी ।आशा से

परिपूर्ण ,संयमित जीवन शैली के परिचायक थे ।

प्रभू से कर बद्ध प्रार्थना है कि उन्हे अपने चरणों में स्थान दें ।परिजनों को इस अपूरणीय क्षति को सहन करने की शक्ति दे ।

ओम शांति

“Papa” - he was for so many, that to call him papa seemed normal then, as it is now.

To us in the Kaul family, he was always papa, or ammapapa as they were lovingly called by all of us when we planned one more visit to the Chechani residence in Mumbai. “Ammapapa pooch rahe hain” or “ aa jao ammapapa hain “

It was always be a visit that was cherished because Amma always made yummy food which we were lovingly overfed and papa blessed us with his love, caring and concern along with amazing conversation.

It could be asking about my job, asking Abhishek about his school and telling him to exercise, or complimenting Anju for something, or even complaining that Arun should not stress so much, he always had a caring and kind word for all of us

I remember him as an active participant in our merrymaking and he brought the whole house alive with his stories of his travels

He presence, even when he was in Ahmedabad, somehow seemed to be felt in the house. His aura of love and caring prevailed even from afar.

That aura persists because we know that papa is looking at all his children with so much fondness, that missing him actually seems a rather remote thing in our minds. There is sorrow no doubt and we all miss him – however at the same time also know that he is still with us.

My pranaam to Amma and my humble words to her are that she should just look around her whenever she misses Papa. She will find him in the smiles of their children, and grandchildren and his reflection will always be seen in all of us.

May your pure soul rest in eternal peace papa

We all love you

I have inherited papa’ s love for travel. He would talk about his travels specially Lebanon and Aden. He loved the white rock he brought from there, he vividly remembered the food he ate there. He would go partridge hunting. We ate the best butter chicken and malai cake from the hotel in modinagar when amma was in bhilwara and papa would make us parathas. He was very proud of his doctor son and would introduce me to everyone as Dr Vijay. He required CABG at age of 63 and changed his eating habits, became a vegetarian, regular walking and lived another 32 years without any further revascularization procedures. That is unheard of and a tribute to his lifestyle. His passion for life and the enjoyment he got from interaction with people was apparant to everyone he came in touch with including strangers in joggers park. Isolation that covid 19 pandemic brought was devastating to him. He thrived on human interaction. His sense of style imitated his favorite actor, dev anand. We did get to see all of Dev Anand movies! He was passionate about good food which has become a Chechani family tradition. He always valued work and probably would have liked to continue working till the end! We were lucky to have him as our father. Love you forever Papa. I wish I could have been there for you instead of being so far away...

Vijay

FUFAJI was a great personality & idol for me and family

His life style is worth adopting for all of us and I quote most often with family members as an example during talks

Disciplined life, devotion for work, innovative and creative skills, health Consciousness , helping & suggestive nature are few qualities, I observed in FUFAJI

There r many memories to mention but a few r his morning walk, timeline for whole day including b/f, lunch and dinner, enjoying healthy discussions on various topics .

Here I can never forget that I got my first job in J K Tyre, Kankroli only becoz of his recommendation letter in 1976

In few words, I may say that we all feel proud n happy as and when he grace any occasion held in somani PARIWAR, at bhilwara and his memories r beyond measures.

We all pray homage to FUFAJI & pray almighty to rest his soul in piece and give enough strength to BHUA and family members to bear this irreparable loss

Ashok, bhilwara

6367141507

Nanaji - As I think of you, I hear the sound of your laugh.  Hearing that laughter, as you recalled a memory, shared a story, or tried to cheat at cards - it could bring a smile to anyone. A hearty and infectious laugh, you laughed and smiled often - and really wore every emotion. I thank you for showing me, and really us all, the power of determination in your relentless efforts for bettering the health of yourself and others, the beauty of friendship in your love for meeting and talking to anyone and everyone, and the value of being calm and patient while striving for the absolute best. I also can't leave out a thanks for teaching me all the strategies in our various card games...and also the sheer joy of mixing things up just to make the game more interesting.  Your memories are a blessing to us all. Forever your Char Sau Bees.

अपूरणीय क्षति।

यों देखें तो उनसे मेरा रिश्ता बहुत दूर का था।पर सच मे ऐसा नहीं था। वो दादा ही थे।

यों देखें तो उनकी उम्र बहुत थी।पर सच मे वो काफी youngथे। हमारे सर पे उनका हाथ अभी और भी रहना था।

उनकी तरफ से देखूं तो शायद मैं कहीं नही था। इतना बड़ा परिवार, इतने फैंस, इतने लोग।

पर मेरी तरफ से और मेरे जैसे न जाने कितने लोगों की तरफ से उनकी महत्ता बहुत थी। शायद ही मेरे दर्द का एहसास कोई कर पाए।

मानते हैं कि ऐसा होता है कि थोड़े समय के लिए आत्मा यहीं रहती है, हम सबको देखने आती है। ऐसा लग रहा है कि वो जैसे हमें देखकर अपनी शानदार styleमें मुस्कुरा रहे होंगे।

उनकी मुस्कुराहट में उनका शानदार व्यक्तित्व, उनकी सोच, उनकी मेहनत, उनकी ज़िंदगी का सारा सार समाहित था।

बचपन से बाउजी, बड़े पापा और पापा की कहानियों में उन्हें पाया। सोमानी ब्रदर्स, जो economic stability का हमारा आधार है, उन्ही के कारण संभव हो पाया। south bombay के उनके घर, उस समय के उनके aura की अनगिनत बातें बड़े पापा और मम्मी बताते हुए नहीं थकते।

मेरी किस्मत है कि पाली हिल और अहमदाबाद उनके घर उनके साथ समय बिताया। भुआ से लगातार मजाक, हम सबके बारे में सारी बातें याद रखना, हमें प्रोत्साहित करना, guide करना। कोर्ट केसेस को लेकर उनका struggle करने का तरीका। healthको लेकर उनका focus। बच्चों के साथ उनका connection। करण को तो मैंने खुद देखा है।

May20 में उन्होंने देर रात फ़ोन किया। covid को लेकर बहुत चिंतित थे। बोले चांद सीता का ध्यान रखना। मुझे हमेशा की तरह walk के लिए बोला। पिछले एक साल रोज़ 6-8 kms walk किया। 10-12 किलो वजन भी कम किया। उन्हें surprise देना था। उनका bhilwara आने का program बन रहा था।

बड़े पापा और मम्मी के सर पर उनका हाथ था। वो आज उठ गया ।

हम पूरा सोमानी परिवार ज़िन्दगी भर उनके ऋणी रहेंगे। पर पता है कि वो फिर मुस्कुरायेंगे और कहेंगे never use this word ऋणी ,never think like this। मेहनत करो अच्छी सोच रखो बाकी सब बाबा के हाथ छोड़ दो।

फूफाजी हमेशा यादों में बने रहेंगे।

Rahul Somani. Bhilwara. +919414111252

While Nanaji was incredible for the rich life that he lived full of experiences and people, what truly amazed me about him was his capacity to grow as a person throughout his life. At an age where one often becomes set in their ways and their beliefs, Nanaji was always open to hearing and listening to people and changing his thinking based on conversations. This growth is so rare and so difficult to do in ourselves. But with Nanaji, this let him connect with his grandchildren, and even his great-grandchildren with the utmost of ease. Rather than consider himself the expert, he considered himself the learner, absorbing new ideas and trends and technologies. I can remember him saying incredulously “Achha? Kamal hai!?” at some new thing. But of course what I will remember and miss most about him was his ability to laugh and love and live life to the fullest. He was always laughing and getting those around him to laugh and experiencing life around the world...betting on horse races in MN, going on rides at DisneyWorld in Orlando, playing (and cheating!) at cards everywhere, enjoying CA beaches in his signature shorts. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to bring a smile to his face with a surprise visit to India. Lots of love from your firstborn grandchild, Nanaji :-)

A Mentor - A Motivator and an inspiration ....... for a Person or a Group.

Memories with him shall be cherished forever and would be shared with any age group & in the generations to come

Pranam to a legend

There was a whiff of fresh air and suddenly a feeling of friendliness and comfort was felt when I first saw him as he entered the premises at the gathering arranged for the two families to meet.

"Dadu" is how I used to refer to him as that's how my daughter Madhavi used to call him. During the marriage ceremonies in Goa being the bride's father I was very nervous but Dadu was there giving me confidence and assurance that everything will be fine. Thank you for being there for me and I'm sure you're blessings will always be there with me in leading my life in the most disciplined manner as you led yours.

Ajit and Jyothi Shetty

Dadu,

I am staring at your photos and crying and smiling at the same time. What a handsome man! What a splendid human being! What a soaring spirit! You danced with life no matter the tune or its circumstance. You never let anything or anyone tell you .. though we all tried bullying you .. what you couldn’t do. You set your mind to it and you did it all with a smile, with joy and complete dedication. This also extended to you bluffing your way through a game of cards

With endless patience you taught us about everything and yet there remains so much to learn. Will always imbibe you and your love, appreciation and openness for life. Though it will always be heart breaking we weren't there with you it will not lessen our celebration of you everyday. You are part of us.

I can see you smiling and saying that’s good that’s good!!

Enjoy your brisk walk for now! Will catch up with you at some point.