Visharam A. Tharwani, General Secretary of Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) and Hindu Panchayat Karachi died of a heart attack on Wednesday night. He was 60. His cremation ceremony was held in Golimar on Friday afternoon after the arrival of his sons from abroad.
Tharwani’s sudden death has left members of the community and the Hindu council shocked, who believe it would be difficult to find a replacement for the dedicated member. His popularity could be gauged from the large number of relatives, friends and political activists from all over Karachi and interior Sindh. Tharwani belonged to Ghotki and was an electrical engineer by profession. Apart from his practice as an engineer, he was committed to the cause of his community and volunteered to work for the betterment of Hindus from the platform of Pakistan Hindu Council and Hindu Panchayat Karachi.
Apart from this, late Tharwani was also involved in social work and ran a charitable dispensary in Karachi and was the editor of a monthly community magazine ‘Prem Nagar’. “Until Tuesday he attended a meeting with governor Sindh during, which all the members of PHC discussed a host of issues and problems of our community. Then I received a call on Wednesday that he was admitted in the hospital due to some heart ailment and hours later he died on Wednesday night,” said Murlidhar Gangwani, President PHC at Tharwani funeral.
PHC came into existence in 2005 and Tharwani had been part of the council since then. The Sindhi Hindu was an active member who resolved issues of the community across different districts in the country. Among his achievements was the restoration of an educational institution in Ghotki and several encroached temples in interior Sindh. One of the project on which he was working before his death was the renovation of a temple in Manora, which he intended to rehabilitate to encourage religious activities in the area. “Tharwani was not politically affiliated and was a dedicated social activist. He was always the first to address issues of the community,” added Gangwani. Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, MPA (PML) Sindh was also present at the funeral. Tharwani leaves behind a widow, four sons and two daughters.
