Dhirubhai Shah (18 December 1952–17 March 2008) was a politician from

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

who was elected speaker of the Tenth

Gujarat Legislative Assembly Gujarat Legislative Assembly or Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the state capital Gandhinagar. Presently, 182 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected from single-member cons ...

from March 19, 1998, to December 27, 2002. He was the youngest speaker in the history of the

. In 2011, his portrait was unveiled by the Chief Minister of Gujarat at

Gandhidham Gandhidham, initially known as Sardarganj, is the largest and most populous city in Kutch District, Gujarat, India. It was created in the early 1950s for the resettlement of Sindhi Hindu refugees from Sindh (now in Pakistan) in the aftermath ...

Early life and career

Dhirubhai Shah was born into a

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

family in the village of Bela, Taluka-Rapar, District of Kutch, in Gujarat state. After obtaining degrees in commerce and

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, he started his legal career in

. Public contacts encouraged him to consider a career in politics. His hard work and commitment to the development of the Kutch region made him a leader in his community.

Career

He built a firm foundation for his political philosophy during his tenure as the leader of the opposition in Gandhidham municipality. He served as its president and vice president for eight consecutive years. Dhirubhai Shah has attended a number of national and international conferences. Besides the All India Presiding Officers' Conferences in New Delhi,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

, and

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, he has attended the 44th and 45th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences held in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively. He was elected as the Asian Region Member of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (C.P.A.) in September 2000 and attended the 47th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in

Canberra, Australia Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The c ...

. On November 19, 2003 he was appointed

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Gujarat Finance Commission.

Awards and honors

He was honoured with the Glory of India award in 1998 by the

India International Friendship Society The India International Friendship Society (IIFS) is a private voluntary organisation based in New Delhi, India. Its stated aim is to strengthen the ties between India and its expatriate community in the hope of using the resources and potential o ...

at a seminar on "Economic Development and National Integrity" held in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

. He was also given the Gujarat Gaurav Award in 1999 in the field of

parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...

by the International Association of Educators for World Peace, a United Nations agency. He also had the honor of attending the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, the patron of the C.P.A., in London in March 2002 and represen g India on the occasion. He also attended the mid-year meeting of the C.P.A. held in

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

in 2002.

Death and memorials

Dhirubhai Shah died at his residence in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

Gujarat, India Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth- ...

on March 17, 2008 (11:00 p.m.–11:30 p.m. approx.), suffering from a sudden heart seizure while he was with his family, suffering a heart attack at his daughter's wedding on January 29, 2005, and slipping into a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

. He was 56 years old. His body was cremated on March 18, 2008, at noon. A public prayer was held in his remembrance at Kutchi Bhuvan, Paldi, Ahmedabad, on 19, 2008. Also, a similar prayer session was held in his hometown, Gandhidham, on March 21, 2008. On March 25, 2008, a special condolence session was held in the

Legislative

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

and Speaker Ashok Bhatt conveyed condolences to the family, among others, and the house was adjourned for the day. It was a historical moment wherein a high honor was posthumously given to a former speaker of the assembly. On December 20, 2011,

honored the statue of Dhirubhai Shah in Gandhidham, Shah's hometown, in Kutch district, a function attended by over 10,000 people. Modi described the late Shah as a man full of life who lived a fulfilled life. Unveiling his portrait at a function in town, Modi said, "Dhirubhai was one of the rare political leaders who combined values, and who never cared for posts or offices of profit or projecting political heirs. His contributions to the Sindhi community in the Gandhidham-Adipur-Kandla belt in Kutch district will be remembered for a long time." Modi related how Dhirubhai, even after 1,158 days of illness, bore a smile of contentment while departing. His death was compared to that of the late Arvindbhai Maniar, Vasantbhai Ganjendra Gadkar, and Makarand Desai.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Dhirubhai 1952 births 2008 deaths Speakers of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly People from Gandhidham Gujarat MLAs 1998–2002 Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Gujarat