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ASANAND CHAGLA J OSHI 1910—1982
Know thou that the souls of the people of Bahd, who have entered and been established within the Crimson Ark, shall associate and commune intimately one with another, and shall be so closely associated in their lives, their aspirations, their aims and strivings as to' be even as one soul. They are indeed the ones who are well—informed, keen-sighted, and who are endued with understanding. Bahá’u’lláh
These words of the Blessed Beauty came to
me as the greatest balm in my direst moment.
My beloved father, while on a visit to the
United States for treatment, expired peacefully on 8 May 1982 in Oakbrook, Illinois,
after unsuccessful major surgery for internal
abdominal haemorrhage. Beside him were my
mother, Mrs. Shirin Joshi, sisters, Dr. Par
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Asanand Chagla Joshi
veen and Dilafroz, and brother-in-law, Dr. Azam: I was in Karachi. Sorrowing friends attended his graveside in the Arlington Cemetery in Elmhurst and a befitting memorial meeting was held on 30 May in Skokie during which the Hand of the Cause D_hikru’llah Ignidem described him as a ‘dedicated Bahá’í who truly served the Cause’. A memorial gathering was also held in Karachi on 10 September.
My father was born on 10 June 1910 into a priestly Hindu family; Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures came to him with his mother’s milk. He graduated in law in 1914 and started a successful legal praetice. He learned eleven languages, mastering nine, and was awarded a gold medal for Sanskrit by Bombay University. In 1945 he was accepted into the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Mr. Dipchand Khianra, whose appointment to the Continental Board of Counsellors in Western Asia was announced on 8 June 1973, was greatly responsible for enabling him to recognize the truth of the Bahá’í Faith.
Soon after embracing the Faith he was elected a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Karachi. In 1947, when Pakistan was born, he served as chairman of the Local
THE BAHA’
IWORLD
Assembly. In 1948 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, Pakistan and Burma, and in 1958, 'when the National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan came into being, he served as its chairman. Thus his administrative service extended over a period of approximately twenty-five years.
Counsellor Dipchand Khianra writes: ‘Esteemed Bakhtiari had built a house to establish a children’s school like the Panchgani School in India. The building was requisitioned by a senior government executive who would not vacate. Mr. Joshi fought in the law courts for years and won the case. The building today houses the famed “New Day Montessori School”. A silver—tongued orator, he organized many symposia in the Bahá’í Hall, Karachi, in which prominent citizens and scholars of Pakistan participated; addressed hundreds offgatherings; went in deputation to General Ayub 192111, the President of Pakistan, who, impressed by his sincerity, thereafter regarded him as a friend. As a member of the Auxiliary Board, appointed in 1974, he played a most vital part in teaching the Faith to Hindus in the interior of Pakistan and undertaking many teaching tours. It is pertinent to state that these Bahá’ís comprise seventy-five per cent of the members of the Bahá’í community of Pakistan.’
Another unforgettable service was his ceaseless effort to win recognition for the Faith
as a separate minority religious community.
In September‘ 1972 the government of Pakistan accorded this iecognition, the first ever
achieved in an Islamic country. In his report
to the National Spiritual Assembly he wrote,
‘A victory has been won, a goal of the Nine
Year Plan achieved. History was made when
the Islamic Republic of Pakistan issued a
letter from the Law Minister to the National
Spiritual Assembly assuring that all the
minority religious communities, including the
Bahá’ís, are free to profess their Faith, and
the State [government of Pakistan] will in
the discharge of its responsibilities give no
cause' of complaint to any community or
religious minority. It is stated that under the
Interim Constitution freedom of expression
[free speech] is guaranteed.’ He also secured
tax exemption for the Bahá’í properties and
led the Bahá’í delegation to the first Minorities
Committees’ Conference held at Quetta,
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Pakistan. The Minister for Religious Minorities presided over the meeting and expressed
the fervent hope that Bahá’ís would contribute
to the welfare and prosperity of the country.
For the first time Bahá’í speeches and prayers
were televised throughout Pakistan.
A renowned lawyer, he served as honorary legal adviser to the Bahá’í administrative bodies for thirty years. As a member of the District Minority Committee he represented the Bahá’í community to the government for many years and was, on countless occasions, the Bahá’í representative to the United Nations. In all activities in the administrative field he served wholeheartedly and always readily offered his assistance in resolving crucial problems. He was given the status of an intellectual by nearly every President of Pakistan. Ever ready to serve the Cause, he advised us to be firm Bahá’ís, saying, ‘Children, you must ally yourself with the spiritual army of Bahá’u’lláh. Faith is not a half—way house.’
A few days before he died he said that he wanted his grave to teach the Cause. Inscribed on his tombstone is a stanza from Bahá’u’lláh’s Hidden Words. May the Blessed Beauty elevate in the Abhá Kingdom the station of one' who so meritoriously and untiringly devoted his life to the firm establishment of the Cause of God in Pakistan.
The Universal House of Justice on 10 May 1982 cabled:
SADDENED LEARN PASSING ASANAND JOSHI
STAUNCH SUPPORTER PROMOTER BELOVED
FAITH PAKISTAN. HIS LONGTIME SERVICES IN
ADMINISTRATIVE TEACHING FIELDS AS WELL AS
MEMBER AUXILIARY BOARD WILL BE REMEM BERED AS INTEGRAL PART DEVELOPMENT
CAUSE THAT COUNTRY. ASSURE HIS FAMILY
FRIENDS LOVING PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PRO GRESS HIS SOUL.
