TRIBUTE

My father, Gyanchand Hirachand Raisoni,whom we called Bhau was a great man. He was full of energy.He was a perfect example of saying “Early to bed ,early to rise makes man healthy, wealthy and wise”.In our childhood days,he used to get up early around 5 am or so and would ignite the wooden stove for hot water for bathe. He would give bath to all children.

My father had bought a second hand Jeep which he would take to villages in the early hours of morning to collect the credit he had afforded to the farmers for buying his oil engines used in irrigation. By 8 am he would be back at his shop. My father had a tremendous respect for his elder brothers instilling that in us.Respect elders .

My father had a little bit of Gandhi in him. He liked cleanliness. A cousin of mine told me a story. He had gone to Amalner(a small town nearby) with my father for some matrimonial work, like seeing a girl.They went to have tea with a relative who lived in the town. My father seeing his front yard being unclean, began sweeping the ground or the front yard. He cleaned it completely.

Another facet of my father I came to know quite late. My mom told me this many years later. It seems one of my distant cousin sister from Nasik was to get married but the groom’s family insisted on some dowry at the last minute.The girl’s father was devastated being unable to come up with fifteen thousand rupees. My father quietly gave him fifteen thousand rupees after which the marriage took place. It was lot of money for my father at that time.He never mentioned it to anyone. Today She is a happily married woman living in Mumbai.I understand one of her daughters is doctor

My father is my role model because under the given circumstances he proved his might. He worked hard to make his family better educated and made sure had a better standard of living.

- by Mr. Rajendra Raisoni | Son

I remember when I got married my education was incomplete. After few days I told bhau that I want to complete it . I talked to bhau about it & his answer was you complete your education don’t worry about expenses . Even if I want to sell some of my property for it I don’t mind it but you complete it . Such was his thirst for education .today because of his guidance & training of hard work I am here. Shat shat pranam

I remember in our childhood we all brothers & sister used to sit early in the morning for studies & our mother-Bai used to take maths & bhau English subject. He had made us habit of learning spellings . His lessons of hard work helped us in our life.

- by Mrs. Rajani Ranka | Daughter

Those we love don't go away, they walk besides us everyday, unseen, unheard but always near still loved & missed.

Bhau (Daddy), you gave me the greatest gift anyone could give, you believed in Me.

There are so many beautiful memories & they will always remain in my heart forever.

I studied in English medium school in Jalgaon till 5th standard & everyday you dropped me to school & would send someone to pick me up in the afternoon.

After 5th standard, you put me in St Aloysius School, Bhusaval. Most of the days Bhau used to go to villages near Bhusaval by Jeep & he would not just drop me to my school but also train me in driving Jeep.

Bhau made me learn & always wanted all kids to learn everything to do the best in future. He sent me for training of repairing tractors at Kirloskar Tractors, Nasik & also at Laxmi moped at Kolhapur. He made sure I understand the work from ground level.

In 1985, I entered for the first time in Jalgaon Municipal Corporation elections. Bhau & Shantibhau used to campaign for my elections. Bhau would make sure that all party members would get breakfast, lunch & dinner, that too cooked at home. Bai (Mummy) and other ladies also would campaign for the elections.

He was a father so noble, so upright, so kind even in rebuke. It was difficult to find anything but his love & care divine.

Not just today but every single day, your life or every moment is our lesson in everyway.

Miss you Bhau.

- by Mr. Pradeep Raisoni | Son

My heart is full of memories, with pride I speak your name. Though life goes on without you, it will never be the same.

Daddy, you are missed dearly. I could never feel the emptiness after marriage because you filled it with your love & caring nature.

I remember in 1994, I wanted to do Fashion designing course & for that you & Mummy both encouraged Me to do it, without me stressing on house work or taking care of my children.

You ordered a sewing machine for Me from Chandigarh & took care of my baby daughter so that I could attend college.

I will be forever grateful to you.

Your love, discipline, caring nature, holding a huge family together & work, etc all were learnings for Me to carry forth in future.

Seeing you strong every single day, made Me this strong for life.

I miss you yesterday, I miss you today, I'll miss you tomorrow & I'll miss you for the rest of my days.

- by Mrs. Bharti Pradeep Raisoni | Daughter-in-Law

We never know the love of our parents till we become parents ourselves.They play the biggest role in our mental, physical,social, financial and career development.They are the most precious gift of God to us.

I owe my life to my beloved parents whom we lovingly use to call Bhau and Bai. It was their wish that i should become a Doctor,I was a little reluctant in my mind but eventually I realised what treasure they gave me.

The satisfaction i get after treating the sufferings of the patients is beyond any measure.

when I rewind the journey of the life so far, I see that Bhau was the one who invested time and efforts in shaping our lives.He compromised his own needs, wishes and happiness for us.

The daily fixed routine of our family from 5am to 9pm was solely designed by him,it was nothing but reflection of time punctuality, love for his children and entire family.

He was a true gentleman in all sense whether it was his business or charity work for the society.

He cared for his customers so much that goodwill created by him defined the character of the family in terms of honesty and the value of word.

His care for humanity was seen in multiple medical camps such as plastic surgery camp for birth defects in children and cataract surgery camp for seniors which were organised in our Hospital.

Bhau has given us the Best gift anyone has ever given us.He gave us wings to fly.It is rightly said that what we become depends on what our father teaches us.

Today on his 90th birthday, I express my heartfelt gratitude towards him and will always remain indebt to him.

- by Dr. Shekhar Raisoni | Son

"यूं तो लोग जीने के लिए जिया करते है, कुछ सार नहीं फिर भी जिया करते है कुछ लोग मृत्यु से पहले मर जाते है पर ज़िंदगी उसीकी है जो मर कर भी जिया करते है"।

ऐसे थे हमारे परम पूज्य आदरणीय भाऊ, जिनकी स्मृतियां आज भी हमारे बीच जीवित है।

भाऊ के बारे में जो लिखो वो कम है , वे एक बहुत ही सरल व्यक्तित्व के धनी एवं उच्च विचारों वाले व्यक्ति थे, जिसे मिलते उसके हो जाते।

आज कलम भी सौभाग्यवती है ऐसे अनुशासन के पर्याय व्यक्ति के बारे में लिखने के लिए।

मुझे याद है कि भाऊ को सब से मिलना जुलना कितना पसंद था, वे बदनावर भी बड़ी खुशी से आया करते थे, शिष्टाचार से उन्हें बेहद लगाव था, उन्होंने अपने सभी बच्चो को उच्च शिक्षा प्राप्त करवाई, कितनी जगह पर हम सभी को सही मार्ग दिखाया, मैंने गाड़ी चलाना भी उन्हीं से सीखा।वे बहुत मेहनती इंसान थे।

आज उनके हर एक गुण याद आते है, वो संस्कार जो उन्होंने अपने बच्चो को दिए, और आपने पोते पोतियों के साथ बिताए उनके दिन, सभी आंखो के सामने झलक जाते है। उन्हें बच्चो के साथ समय बिताना बहुत पसंद था। घर की बहू बेटियों का बहुत ही सम्मान करते थे, कभी उनसे उच्ची आवाज में बात नहीं की।

उनसे मैंने समय की पाबंदी सीखी क्यूंकि उनके जीवन में उस चीज का बहुत महत्व था।

ऐसे व्यक्ति को आप कभी भुला नहीं सकते,उनके कर्म,उनके संस्कार उनके गुण हमेशा हमारी यादों में हमारी नींव बनके जीवित रहेंगे।

- by Mrs. Prabha Shekhar Raisoni | Daughter-in-Law

Sometimes all the words in the world can’t describe you what you are feeling, sometimes all the words in the dictionary can’t describe what you feel for someone. At some point of life, you even come to a realization that some people stay in your heart forever even after they are gone. The same holds true when I think about my father, Shri GyanchandJi HiralalJi Raisoni, fondly known as ‘Bhau’.

He was a very friendly and amiable person who always stood beside us guiding our footsteps. There was a time when we have seen him working hard day and night but we were ignorant of his eternal presence. However, over a period of time when we started venturing into a world of entrepreneurship leaping ahead with success, we comprehended that even we have imbibed the important traits of his personality, hard work and discipline. Today, we realize that we received this trait in legacy.

Bhau came from Rajasthan and then lived in a small village of Maharashtra. He was a calm, patient, and well-behaved person. He was sophisticated in his behavior and approach towards life. All his qualities are like the ‘Mantra of Life’ that he has passed on to his next generation. Today, when we see his grandchildren adopting the same values in life with simplicity, we come to a realization that the transformation of sacraments has already taken place. The same values of hard work and discipline has today become the pillars of Raisoni Group.

In his journey of life was very reflective. He would never get tired, never have been lazy, and would never get distracted by anything surrounding him. He always stayed focused in his work with utmost self-confidence. We all as a family of the next two generations have imbibed the same from him and integrated in our lives. If you closely examine the skill we possess when it comes to donating knowledge or taking any important decisions in life, you will certainly feel his presence. Following his guidance and power of motivation, even today we follow the tradition of giving return gifts to our children on our birthday for their achievements. Adding to this, writing daily diaries, learning good habits from others, and travelling across the world while adopting their culture are the part of his persona that the next two generations have smoothly imbibed.

Today, as we are walking on his footsteps, his inspiration has blessed all our educational and commercial institutes with dignity and recognition.

His memory, his remembrance, and whatever we have received from him as a blessing of life is eternal. Neither will it end nor will it get destroyed. We pray to God that we get a golden opportunity to spread the light and legacy of the lamp Bhau has lit.

- by Mr. Sunil Raisoni | Son

एक रोशनी सी आसमाँ से जब सूर्य की बिखरती है
उस किरण से पूरी की पूरी प्रकृति संवरती है ...
नित नवीन उजाले से वो धरा को उजलाता है
बिन थमे बिन रुके दहक कर जीलाता है ।।
कुछ ऐसे ही प्रकाश मानव संग आते है
उम्र भर जो ज्ञान से देश समाज परिवार को चमकाते है
बिना साधनो के बिना इंटर्नेट के उच्च शिखर पर ,
शिक्षा जिनको सर्वोपरि और खुद शीतल चाँद की तरह ...
अपने आशीर्वाद के बीज को उगाके चले गए
फलफलाता वृक्ष देखे बिना चले गए ,
और हर सफलता में अपना असर छोड़ गए
मुझे जीवन की गाड़ी से टाटा करके चले गए !!
माता पिता की कमी को हर क्षण महसूस करते है हम..
कुछ वर्ष और साथ मिलता , ये सोचते है हरदम।।
शोभा रायसोनीयों की ... शोभित है आपकी वजह से
हर पल में याद है , हर याद में मुस्कान है आपकी वजह से !
बहु होने का सौभाग्य मेरा , आपसे बढ़ा आदरणीय भाऊ,,
यही गुज़ारिश ... हमेशा शीश पर हाथ महसूस कर पाऊँ !!

- by Mrs. Shobha Sunil Raisoni | Daughter-in-Law

Our Grandparents were ahead of their time in thinking, foresight, kindness, humanity and perspectives.

My most fondest memories of Dada are ~
~ Watching all the Amitabh movies at Vision when we were kids.
~ He taught me how to drive on the Jeep & Maruti. The first time, I drove in the nite from Dhulia back to Jalgaon. Dada gave me so much encouragement during that drive, that I still remember it to this day. I was in the 10th grade at that time.
~ When Dada was working on the Mat factory, he taught me about punctuality. I would pick him up for Lunch and Dinner. My goal every day was to be there at sharp 12 noon and 6pm in the evening. In my career being on time on meetings, is the most important aspect that my colleagues observe.
~ Dada always used to reconcile his accounting books daily and would not close shop until it was completed. In business this is so important and i cannot count the number of times, I remember how important it is now.

Dada was a thorough gentleman. He was towering in his presence and simple in his thoughts and words. He was truly a man of action.

Dada left a lasting impression on me for the rest of my life and I will never forget his words of wisdom.

- by Mr. Tarun Raisoni | Grand Son

'God couldn't be everywhere so he made grandparents!', this is so true and I can't be more thankful and grateful to be born in 'Raisoni' family. While both Dada and Bai left the world too soon, the love and guidance they had provided during our early age of childhood has instilled in us our culture, spirit and loving memories forever. His hardworking attitude, no job is too small, perseverance and always smiling face are the genes that differentiates us in the crowd today.

Both Dada and Bai had such a well balance of work and play..still wonder how :)

Now that we have immersed ourselves in our own lives with kids, there is a constant urge to provide our children with similar experience that we had with our grandparents but we will probably fall short of it!

There are very few people that can make an impact on your life and Dada was one of them. Remembering you fondly Dada...

- by Mrs. Barkha Singhvi | Grand daughter

Dada......wise, loving, knowledgeable, enthusiastic,loyal, well-disciplined, compassionate, philanthropist, protective ... And the list goes on ...

I truly cherish and remember all the memorable moments spend with u..... Sunday...funday, the prize distribution ceremony on ur Birthday every year, celebration of our birthdays, vacation to Nagpur, kashmir, Mahabaleshwar.... , Waking up early morning taking studies, learning vehicle , gifting my first two wheeler(sunny) ...ur advice while going to hostel, ur encouraging letter during exam days ......and many more. The list is long but the words are less to describe .

I really treasure the unforgettable childhood memories with you and Bai .

I will try to imbibe your qualities to make everyone's life worthwhile.

We really miss you Dada.

- by Dr. Poonam Lodha | Grand daughter

DADA.......for me was my Lighthouse. He guided me on each and every path of life. His discipline, respect for others, hard work, love , affection was incomparable. Perhaps I am the one grandchild who has spent a lot of time with him. Whatever I wished or asked him I don’t remember he had said NO to me anytime.

I was in 8th standard when he gifted Bajaj Sunny to Poonamtai as she was in 10th and required it for going to her classes. After that I also asked him to give me a two wheeler for which he didn’t replied me anything for days, so I thought may be he is not going to buy two wheeler for me but to my surprise one day at our shop I saw a brand new Kinetic Honda covered and hidden inside our shop. When I asked about it he said it is for you but you will have to apply for your driving license till then it will be there only. When enquired in detail with him he said he had ordered it on the same day when I had asked him for it and as it was not available at Jalgaon he had asked Sunil Uncle at Nagpur to send it from there. So my first vehicle was gifted to me by my DADA at the age of 14 and I am still using it till today. There are many more memorable moments of me and Dada.

We both were more of friends then Dada and Pota. I use to share with him all things whether it be of my school or college which otherwise I didn’t shared with anyone and he also use to share with me all the things. We two use to go to see movies very often and sometimes when we would return Bai use to scold both of us because we never informed anyone before going for movie. Every Saturday he would take me along with him to market for purchasing different small items required at factory. Every Sunday our program was fixed to watch two movies on VCR at home with all the children. He taught me driving when i was in 10std. He use to take me along with him at farm and different places and asked me to drive.

I was always along with him, be it Kashmir Trip, Europe Trip, Rajasthan Trip, Mahabaleshwar, Mumbai Essel World and many more. One thing I admired during our trips was he use to take keen interest in knowing different culture and history of places we visited. He use to write his daily diary in which he use to pen down everything what we have visited in a day during our trips. Also he use to write down all the daily expenses in his diary regularly. He taught me the same thing which I follow till today.

Dada and me had gone to Rajkot to buy some machinery for factory at Jalgaon. Only we two were there in that trip. We had taken road trip from Jalgaon to Rajkot and on our return journey we visited many places like Rishabdev, Nakodaji to name a few. I suppose that was my best road trip ever. It was in that trip he taught me driving completely.

For me DADA always will be with me through the values and discipline and dedication towards work, Speak less work more which he taught me through different ways in my early teenage. I miss him each and every day because I lost my best friend with whom I use to share all my feelings, problems which even today I don’t share with any of my family and friends. I wish he would have been with us today to see how his Grandchildren have excelled in different fields and are following his footsteps. He would have been really Proud of all of us and we would still have been receiving his guidance in our life’s. Even today when I feel I am in any problem I know he is around me to take me out of that.

MISS YOU DADA.....! LOVE YOU DADA.....!

- by Mr. Pritam Raisoni | Grand Son

Dada was full of life, always enthusiastic, self-discipline and a very good friend to us ( his grandchildren). He always taught us to work hard towards our goals. Miss you Dada a lot...Miss all the times when we went for a movie, went for trips, all the festivals we celebrated together...everything..

Please keep showering your blessings on all of us as always.

- by Mrs. Prachi Jain | Grand daughter

Dada made my childhood unforgettable. He loved to share stories and his experiences. Every evening when I did not show up during his dinner time, he knew I am being forced to study by my mom and awaiting for him to give a shout out. Sleeping out in the open during summers, going swimming with him on his blue luna and long summer trips in Jeep are my cherished memories with him. He once told me "There are two types of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit.He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition." This engraved in my heart forever. Miss him so much!

- by Mrs. Pooja Khare | Grand daughter

A Grandfather is someone with silver in his hair & gold in his heart.

Miss you Dada every single day.

Have few fond memories with you but I cherish them till date. You were my saviour every time Mom would make me sit for studies. I still remember, you would come back from factory & first call Me & I would come running.

Your discipline, honesty, the importance of education which you made us all understand, caring nature, love, etc everything is missed every single day.

I wish I could get some more time to spend with you, you would have been so proud to see all of us today.

Miss you more every single day, in good or bad times.

Dada, you drew memories in my mind, I could never erase. You painted colours in my heart, I could never replace.

- by Dr. Purvi Raisoni | Grand daughter

Dada was a very Disciplined, Energetic, Driven, Hardworking, Intelligent and an Honest person. He was a person to look up to, to learn from and to have as a role model.

Dada valued family highly, he made sure all his grandchildren spent the entire day together on Sunday’s with him. Every year we had prize distribution ceremony in the family, to let everyone know how every kid in the family performed in their academics. We have such fond memories of that time.

All these things silently developed a culture of honesty, staying connected with the family, the courage to speak up the mind and ability to work under any circumstances.

The consistent hard-work that Dada and his children have done, has helped create such diversified businesses in the family. We really miss Dada, but as the next generation of Raisoni Family we are fortunate to have this legacy laid out by him.

Hope we are able to take it forward…

- by Mr. Siddharth Raisoni | Grand Son

दादासा के साथ मुझे रहने का मौका तो नहीं मिला पर परिवार के सभी सदस्यों से उनके बारे में सुनकर उनकी एक छवि जो बनाई है बस उसी के सहारे कुछ उनके बारे में लिखा है,

ऐसे सरल सुविचारों वाले बड़े प्रबल वो व्यक्ति थे।
हर किसी को अपना मान , सभी को साथ लेकर चलते थे।
हंसते मुस्कुराते हर किसी को वो मिलते थे।
एक बार जो मिल ले उनको,हर किसी को याद वो रहते थे।

अनुशासन और शिष्टाचार उनके सदा घनिष्ठ मित्र रहे।
परिवार के लिए समय निकालना से कभी वो पीछे नहीं हटे।
बच्चो के लिए सदैव प्यार और मन में उच्च विचार रहे,
परिवार की इतनी मजबूत नींव बनाई ,दादासा सदा के लिए हमारी यादों में रह गए।
बस अब यही आशा है की उनके दिखाए रास्ते पर हम सभी सहज चलते रहे।
आशीर्वाद सदा उनका हम पर रहे और हम परिवार का नाम रोशन करते रहे।

- by Mrs. Deepika Siddharth Raisoni | Granddaughter-in-Law

Dada to me was the perfect grandfather and till date I deeply cherish the beautiful memories with him. Words cannot express the magnanimity of his being.

He had the vision to lay the strong foundation of what we call - Family. He was energetic, hardworking, loving and the most fun to be with. For hours, we would play cards, watch (zee cinema) movies, enjoy food but at the same time be disciplined when it came to studies. He always encouraged and rewarded all the kids on their accomplishments.

Looking back I realize his sheer presence taught you so many lessons of life but most significantly the importance of education and family. We are extremely fortunate to be a part of his legacy and hope we can take it forward.

Dada we miss you and I wish we got to spend more time together.

- by Ms. Shweta Raisoni | Grand daughter

When I try to remember Dada, I picturize a very handsome, charismatic and intelligent man always wearing a subtle smile on his face. His demeanour seemed like he was from the armed forces. Not surprising then, that when I visit an account of his life right from his early years, he was very much like that strict, disciplined, ethical, hardworking and dedicated. Though I spent very little time with him, all the time I did spend was extremely impressionable.

He and Bai would get up early in the morning and chant our religious verses. Whatever little I sat with them, not only did I learn the same but even today whenever I chant them, at the cost of sounding dramatic, I can hear their voices in my ears. Thanks to that event in my life even now I clearly remember their voices. In our Europe trip, he tried to pass on his diary writing habit to me and helped me do a diary entry for every single day of the trip.

I discovered in that trip that he was extremely confident, well-spoken and also brave as he embraced all the rides in the amusement park. Dada and Bai made it to all my and Shruti’s birthdays and therefore I have most of their celebratory mode in our lives captured. He was also very articulate as he would help me with my “make the sentences” homework. Dada always had a tough exterior but became very vulnerable after losing Bai. He missed her terribly and never spoke about that in words but he could not hide it in his eyes. There have been so many times I have remembered him and wished he was around so that we could spend more time with him. Miss You Dada

- by Mrs. Shraddha Surana | Grand daughter

Memories fade with time, but some just stays with you forever. A few such are with Dada where his strong virtues have left an aspiring mark on my life. A subtle but most powerful learning over the years stems from this memory where Dada Dadi acknowledged the work/achievement of every member of our humongous family with utmost appreciation, as an annual function every year. From waking up early in the morning, to getting ready to give an early start to the day, discipline was a key aspect of his life...

Dear Dada,

Whenever you were in Nagpur, you would give me bath. Wear your perfectly ironed suit to head out and I would catch your legs and not let you go. Sit in that living area to watch TV and I would hide behind that cabinet to surprise you. And not to forget those amazing Birthday Celebrations :) you never missed it.. I really wish I could have spent more time you...

- by Mrs. Shruti Dhadda | Grand daughter