Janet Silvera, Gleaner Writer
Ramesh 'Jimmy' Lakhwani (left) accepting his recent award as citizen of the year by the Ocho Rios Kiwanis Club. - PHOTO BY JANET SILVERA
WESTERN BUREAU:
IT TOOK Ramesh 'Jimmy' Lakhwani three days and 15,000 miles from India to land on the Jamaican soil.
Forty years later, the successful Ocho Rios businessman has become so embedded in Jamaica, he now needs a visa in order to visit his place of birth. "Love of the country and the people is what kept me here," he told the Flair. "I found a culture almost the same as India's, so I didn't miss home."
Today, he is considered the saving grace of several charitable organisations in St. Ann, having built a basic school catering to early childhood education and a wing for Sunday school classes at the New Testament Church of God in St. Ann's Bay. He has sponsored various sports clubs, made yearly donations to the St. Ann's Bay hospital and provided scholarships for less fortunate students.
'Jimmy Lakhwani' as he is affectionately called, owner of Soni's Plaza, Main Street, Ocho Rios has become renowned as the man who gives 10-fold the amount of love he receives.
Last month he was accorded '2005 Citizen of the Year' status by the Kiwanis Club of the Ocho Rios for his selflessness, altruism and outstanding contribution to community development. The criteria used by the Kiwanis Club included community involvement, conduct as a role model and consistency in helping others.
"He has created several jobs for a number of citizens in the parish, so we took into consideration his contribution to entrepreneurship," explained Herman Grant, treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Ocho Rios. He dubbed Lakhwani a high achiever who exhibits a level of humility that is admirable.
It should be noted that Lakhwani is not a Kiwanian, but a founding member of the Lions Club. His affair with the Kiwanis movement is encouraged by that organisation's involvement in youth development.
With the assistance of his son Deepak, the founder of the Indian Association of Ocho Rios employs 340 persons and is about to increase that figure with the construction of two other major projects in the cruise ship capital, Ocho Rios.
"I have joined him in his business, where I have been learning a lot, I would like to follow in his footsteps all the way," said the proud son Deepak, who humbly spoke of the essential role his father played in his life. "He has given me a good education, guarded me on the right path, always gave me the confidence and said to always have faith and go forward."
FATHER FIGURE
Mr. Lakhwani has ensured a good education for his two children and proved his compassion when he took on the role of father for two poor Jamaican students; a young man who is now an architect and a young lady who attends the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) in Portland.
"Education is integral, especially early childhood, education is what makes one understand how to approach life," he said giving his reason for making learning top priority on his list. In fact, his greatest joy is to see the children he helps nurtured into upstanding citizens. "I wish I could do a whole lot more, to help more people," he stated emphatically.
Ocho Rios is richer for the business climate that Jimmy Lakhwani has created in the that town. Since opening his first business in 1974, and later moving on to own and operate Soni's (1981) Limited, named for his wife Sona, Jimmy Lakhwani has touched the lives of many citizens in the parish of St. Ann.
"He is an outstanding citizen, who gives generously without expecting anything in return," proclaimed Newtol McIntyre, a retired insurance agent who met Lakhwani shortly after his arrival in Jamaica.
