Homage Speech by Kishore Shah
29 August 2015
I feel honoured to have this invitation to pay homage to Mr Hashmat Puri, who was a dear friend over many years. Our two families have known each other for more than forty years.
Hashmatji was a very talented individual: an accomplished civil engineer with a high reputation for his professional work not only in this country but also abroad, in other countries such as Norway. He had a sharp mind and a generous heart; he believed in fighting for his rights and helped others to fight theirs.
Unlike many Indians he had one exceptional quality or, I would say, virtue: he strongly believed in being punctual. If an invitation was for 8 o’clock, you would hear his knock on the door sharp at 8 on the dot. This was admired by many in our social group.
Food was one his passions: not only he enjoyed good food, he was himself a good cook and a good critic. He could sense what ingredient, if any, was missing in a dish. He also enjoyed entertaining and his beloved wife Tripta shared this passion.
He was one of the founding members of the Hindu temple in Middlesbrough and played an active role for many years. Above all, he was community man: generous at heart and willing to get on well with all. His wide friend circle included folks of several ethnic origins. He respected humanity.
Despite suffering from poor health in the last few years; he stayed in good spirits, with smile on his face.
He will be sadly missed by many in our community.
I pray the almighty God to give his soul eternal peace.