Mzee Kenyatta's tailor remains philanthropic even in death

Brothers of Mr Dhanji Liladhar Parmar carry his body at the Nakuru Hindu Crematorium on July 26, 2018. Mr Parmar was Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's tailor. He was cremated July 26,2018. [Photo: Harun Wathari/Standard]

Eighty-two-year-old Nakuru philanthropist Dhanji Liladhar Parmar, who was former President Jomo Kenyatta’s tailor, wanted his corneas donated upon his death. And following his death last Monday, his wish was fulfilled as the corneas were harvested ready to be given to someone in need.

The Kenyan of Asian descent was cremated at the Nakuru Hindu Crematorium last Thursday. The funeral service was attended by Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha, Sports Chief Administrative Secretary Hassan Noor Hassan and religious leaders.

According to his younger brother Hasmukh, Mr Parmar had said his corneas should be harvested and donated when he died.

“He was a soft-spoken man who always meant what he said. I recall him saying that his corneas should be harvested upon his death when I visited him. He has always been a generous man and we had to grant him his last wish before his cremation,” said Hasmukh.

On July 23, Parmar had planned to travel to Nairobi driven by his nephew, Rakesh. He is said to have woken up at around 6am and according to his phone records, he sent a good morning message to almost all the contacts on his phone at 6.14am.

A few minutes to 7am, Parmar suffered a fatal heart attack.

“I came to pick him up for our planned journey. The rest of the family had just woken up and found him collapsed in the bathroom. We rushed him to hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival,” said Rakesh.

After the rest of the family was informed about Parmar's death, a team of doctors from Lions Sight First Hospital based in Nairobi embarked on harvesting his corneas.

Dr Samani Shreedhar, who is also the Nakuru Hindu Council Chairman, said the corneas were donated to two patients at the hospital.

“There were two patients who needed cornea replacement at the Lions Sight First Hospital and Mr Parmar's donation has assisted them to recover their eyesight. It is an expensive operation but the donations made it cheaper,” said Dr Samani.

Parmar's philanthropic activities attracted President Uhuru Kenyatta’s attention. In a condolence message, the President described Parmar as a dynamic entrepreneur and a philanthropist without borders.