Premji Shah had run away to Mumbai when he was barely 15; His stepmother had thrown him out of the house. Once in the city, Shah worked hard and slowly earned what he has now– At 85, he is the owner of one of the largest retail centres in the city.
‘As my financial status improved, I started thinking about giving back to the community’, he said.
Shiva and Vaishali, husband-wife, took care of Shah’s Nashik home. They had 2 children but never had the resources to educate them. So, Shah offered to sponsor their children’s education.
‘By educating them, I wanted to make them capable enough to stand on their own feet’.
Shah’s late wife, Shantaben insisted that they should be put into an English medium school to ensure they would have access to professional jobs.
Now, Shiva and Vaishali's children have grown up– the daughter is in college & aims to become an IAS officer; the son is appearing for his 10th boards this year.
In Mumbai, Shah had another caretaker, Shankar, who lives with the family full-time.
‘Premji Bhai and Shantaben have always treated me as one of their own’, Shankar recollects. ‘They’ve sponsored my children’s education and now they are helping support my grandchildren’s education also. All my children have graduated and have good jobs. They are self-reliant and happy. The biggest gift one can give someone is that of hope and by helping my children get a good education, Premji Bhai has helped ensure that they’ll always have hope for a better tomorrow, both for themselves and their children.”
After Premji Shah retired and passed on his business responsibilities to his son, Vijay Shah, Mr. Vijay now carries forward his fathers' legacy by supporting the education of several of his employees.
From struggles to success, Premji has always helped everyone around him in whichever way he could. Mahindra salutes the spirit of giving of people like Premji. They show us that through generosity and selflessness, we can make the world a more hopeful place for everyone. #TogetherWeRise
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