Farewell to community leader Shri Niranjanbhai C. Shah

Chicago IL: Shri Niranjan C. Shah, 74, of Schaumburg, Illinois left for his heavenly abode to attain ‘Moksha’ on December 28, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Falguni Shah-Gosalia, son Nimit Desai, and siblings Lataben Doshi, Aruna Shah, Ravindra & Malti Shah, Anil & Kalpana Shah, and Varsha & Jitendra Shah. A huge capacity crowd joined in the celebration of his life and cremation ceremony at Russo's Hillside Chapels, 4500 W Roosevelt Rd, Hillside, IL, held between 10 AM to 12 Noon, on Friday, December 30, 2016.

Like a true visionary pioneer and trailblazer, Mr. Niranjanbhai migrated to the USA at the tender age of 21 as a student in 1962. At that time, very few Indians had the courage to emigrate to the USA to make a living. In this land of opportunity, he facilitated the immigration of many of his family members including both brothers, other relatives, and anyone else who asked for his assistance. In addition to being a successful professional, Mr. Shah firmly believed in the practices of Jainism. One of the prominent Jain scholars present in the ceremony described Niranjanbhai as the “highest Prabhavana for Jainism in USA”. He was also described as a devoted person of Attma-siddhi Shashtra. He was the founder, generous donor and contributor of the Jain Temple located in the Chicago metropolitan area. At his house at first, he hosted and subsequently put into action a plan to build his lifelong dream of building a Jain Temple in Chicagoland. He hosted many visiting devotees, Jain scholars etc not only due to his vast collection of Jain literature but because of his big heart, hospitality, warmth and generosity.

Besides family members, several people from his friend circle including Ravindra Kobavala, Vijay Meghani, Dr. Gaurav Shah, paid homage to the departed soul. A close friend of Mr Niranajan Shah, Mr Vijay Meghani praised him for the values he followed. He shared a couple of anecdotes that proved the selfless and helpful nature of Niranjan bhai. The tribute paid by his brother Anil Shah, Ravindra Shah, Pradeep Shah, Utam Jain, Sajju Shah and Rupen Shah, Himal Shah, Vipul Shah brought tears in everyone’s eyes. Anilbhai shared how Niranjan bhai helped not only his friends and family but those who he didn’t even know. He was a true follower of Jainism and had a huge library of Jain Literature at his residence. Mr Gaurav Shah talked about the strong will power of Mr Niranjan Shah. He spoke of his jovial nature coupled with his unique fashion sense. He played a vital role in establishing the Jain Temple and the Pooja Vidhi at the temple. According to Mr Gaurav, Niranjan Bhai fully realized the concept of ‘Atmasiddhi Shastra’ and introduced it to many, him included.

The Jain community's feeling of togetherness that he helped foster throughout his lifetime, remembered him as a reverent pious man of devotion and commitment. He tirelessly worked to build a tightknit community for all ages and worked towards the education and dissemination of Jainism and Gujarati. His contributions to the community at large was beyond quantifiable, as he was devoted to making the community a better place. He spent a lifetime energetically and ardently functioning to build the organization of JAINA or Federation of Jain Associations in North America, where he served as General Secretory and Vice President. One of the reasons of the success of the 1995 JAINA Convention in Chicago was said to be due to his diligence and hard work as the principal Convener.

Shri Niranjan was a strong advocate of humanitarian efforts both nationally and internationally. To devote more time and energy towards this cause, he retired at the age of 44 from his Engineering profession. He also believed in sharing his wisdom and passion of Jainism through various interfaith communities’ participation. Everyone at the gathering was full of praise and admiration for Mr Niranjan C Shah and the Jain society at large expressed its sense of loss after his demise. Truly, Mr Niranajan's demise is a palpable loss to all humanitarians in Chicagoland and around the world.

Photographs and Press release by: Asian Media USA