Nilamben Parikh, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-granddaughter, died at her residence in Navsari Tuesday morning. She was 92.
Her son, Dr Sameer Parikh, who works as an ophthalmologist in Navsari, told the media that she passed away “without pain and in peace”.
Dr Parikh said, “My mother did not suffer from any ailments but since the last few days, she had almost given up on meals due to age… She had severe osteoporosis and was gradually sinking. This morning, I decided not to go to my hospital. I sat beside her and held her hand. I gradually felt her pulse diminish and she slowly sank… she passed away peacefully and without any suffering or pain.”
Nilamben was admired for her quiet strength and unwavering loyalty to Khadi, despite her frail physique.
She was known for her acclaimed book that highlighted the complex relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his eldest son, Harilal, Nilamben’s grandfather.
Throughout her life, Nilamben dedicated herself to Dakshinapatha, an organisation she founded to educate and provide vocational training to empower tribal women and promote their financial independence. She worked tirelessly at Dakshinapatha until her retirement three decades ago.
Dr Parikh said that growing up he would often compare his family’s modest lifestyle to the lavish one enjoyed by his cousins in Bombay. “There was a time when I would think our relatives in Bombay had luxuries in the form of electricity, water supply and air conditioner as we were living in a remote village without electricity, drawing water from wells and so on… But as I grew up, I realised that they were totally devoted to Gandhian thought. It was not because of the family legacy but because of their own value system. My parents never worked for money,” he said.
“When I look back and think, I realise that when she retired from the school, they did not even have a house to move into from the quarters. It was a given that they would live with me in Navsari as I was settled, but they never built a house of their own. She never took tuitions to earn extra…” Dr Parikh added.
Tushar Gandhi, Nilamben’s cousin and a historian, said he always considered her “as an elder” due to their significant age gap. The grandson of Manilal Gandhi and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said, “Although she was my cousin, she was much older, about the age of my parents. So I always regarded her as my elder and revered her in that way.”
