The lives of many young women in a remote part of India will be changed forever as the result of a project funded by a Dolans Bay couple.
Kanti and Pratibha Gokani and his brother Chandulal jointly made a donation of more than $500,000 to build a university affiliated business college for female students finishing high school.
“People in that part of the world are still fairly conservative, and the parents are often not willing to send their daughters to the big cities for university education,” Mr Gokani said.
“If you give food, it only satisfies one day’s requirements, but giving education to so many girls makes their lives richer and enables them to earn their livelihood for life.
“Also, with education, your thinking becomes much more modern, which is good for the community.”
The couple who made Australia their home in 1974 after Mr Gokani was transferred by his accountancy firm, talked about their philanthropy in the hope it may inspire others.
“We feel within ourselves that if you have more wealth than you need, you have to give it back to the community,” he said.
“Every year we take out a certain sum and give an equal amount in Australia as we do in India.
”In my profession, I see people with a lot of wealth, but a lot are not charitable.
“To give to people who are struggling can be very satisfying.”
The four-storey business college they funded is in the town of Khambhalia in Gujarat state, in the west of India close to the border with Pakistan.
It accommodates 540 students at a morning or afternoon session – a total of 1080 students a day.
Mr Gokani, whose parents and their forebears lived in the area, and his wife attended the handing over ceremony.
“I think it was divine inspiration,” he said.
“We were approached about funding the project five years ago and when we saw the plans, we immediately said ‘yes’.”
Pratibha Gokani saw an example of the attitude to women’s education among her husband’s relatives.
“There was a very bright girl, and she wasn’t allowed to go and study...and next thing she is getting married,” she said.
Mr Gokani’s parents migrated from India to what is now known as Tanzania, where he was born.
He reconnected with relatives when he returned to attend university in Mumbai.
After studying accountancy in London, Mr Gokani returned to Tanzania, where he wed Pratibha, a teacher, in an arranged marriage.
They came to Australia in 1974, and he has operated his own accountancy practice in Padstow since 1979.
The couple has a son, who is a solicitor and works with his father, and a daughter, who is a pharmacist.
