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Dr.
Ravi Magon, The Man Who Built
Present-Day Arya Samaj, Mombasa
popular
dentist particularly with the wanainchi whom
he charged whatever they could pay for his services
Coastweek--
Dr. Ravi Magon who has
died on 19th of May 2010 was a man of passionate beliefs and a deep
sense of righteousness.
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Born
in Nairobi in, he was the son of a very respectable banker.
After
his early education in Kenya, he proceeded to India for
further studies.
He
gained admission to a highly competitive and well known
medical school in Punjab known as Medical College, Amritsar.
After
gaining his Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree, he returned
to Kenya and took a job in the Ministry of Health.
He
was posted to Coast General Hospital in 1971 to run its
newly established dental clinic. It is here he also met Dr.
Lata Parashar whom he married later.
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Coastweek--
Dr.
Ravi Magon |
Soon
after completing his internship and statutory period in government
service to do private practice, Dr. Magon bought the running practice
of Dr. De Cruz and Dr. De Sa in Shah Mansion in Digo Road, Mombasa.
He
established himself as a popular dentist particularly with the
wanainchi whom he charged whatever they could pay for his services.
Ravi
had a considerable financial acumen.
If he
had not been a dentist, he would have been equally a successful
banker.
It
is his sound financial management skills which made him a highly
successful person in a very short time.
Ravi
had a great sense of self-righteousness and firm beliefs.
However,
he would never impose his values or beliefs on others.
His
strong beliefs stemmed from his faith in principles of Arya Samaj: a
reformist wing of Hindu religion
which does not believe in idol worship.
He
was the youngest member of Arya Samaj, Mombasa, to be elected its
Chairman.
In
1981, Arya Samaj, Mombasa was in complete financial disarray. Its
buildings were falling apart and it had not funds to carry out repairs
and renovations which were needed badly.
Ravi
made door to door collection of funds for the restoration of Samaj
buildings.
In
1985, Arya Samaj Mombasa had embarked upon an ambitious construction
programme to extend Arya Primary Scholl buildings.
In the
middle of this construction programme, Arya Pritinitidhi Sabha
withdrew the collateral it had given to secure loan for the project
thus putting the completion of the project in jeopardy.
Dr.
Ravi Magon gave a personal guarantee of shillings two millions to
ensure that the project is completed on time.
He
managed the finances of the institution for several years to ensure
that all loans are paid off.
His
micro-management of the Samaj finances put the institution on a firm
and sound financial footing.
Ravi
was thus the key architect of present day state of Arya Samaj,
Mombasa.
Besides
a staunch Arya Samajist, he was also a free mason and active member
of Lions Club of Mombasa-Pwani.
Warm,
loving, caring and witty Ravi brought life to wherever he went.
He was
a social animal and was to be seen in his true elements at various
socials both as a generous host and a guest. An excellent cook with
amazing culinary tastes, Ravi would enjoy good food over a glass of
whisky.
His
lively sense of humour ensured that he was the centre of mirth and
laughter in a party.
He
would keep people around him cry with laughter by narrating
incidents from his personal experience as a dentist without malice
towards anyone.
He was
at home across all age groups.
It was
sad to see a man so full of life, zest and zeal suffer much pain in
the last few years of his life.
However,
he never gave up his struggle for life until his last breath.
He
fought this long and hard battle for survival with great courage,
grit and determination which were the hall mark of his character.
Dr.
Ravi Magon is survived by his wife Dr. Lata Magon, dentist in Mombasa
and a daughter Priya who is a pharmacist working in the U.K.
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Dr.
Ravi Magon, A Kind And
Compassionate Professional
nowadays
the Mighty Dollar is the sole motivation
Coastweek--
Late Dr. Ravi Magon
was a kind and compassionate professional: Please help me to share the
following with Coastweek readership.
I have
been personally touched by the kind hearted Late Dr. Magon when -
several decades ago - he agreed to visit my ailing late Mother -
several times at home to solve her dental problems because she was bed
ridden at the time and it would have been impossible for her to
visit his clinic.
He
would always address my Mom as "Maaji" (Mother).
He
treated her with great tenderness, respect and love and guess
what ...Ravi Saaheb never charged her a dime for his service.
In
fact he became quite upset when we insisted that he take a token
payment as our true appreciation for his selfless service.
Unfortunately,
such highly skilled professionals whose hearts are full of love and
compassion have now become an endangered species because the same
cannot be said for many others, not only in this profession but also
in others sectors, where every customer/ client/ patient is a
fair game and the Mighty Dollar is the sole motivation.
I want
Dr. Mrs. Lata Magon and his beloved daughter Priya to know that I
have prayed to Allah to reward Late Doctor Saaheb for ALL his noble
deeds for I am convinced that he will have helped many others as well.
Ramzan
Parvana, Toronto, Canada.
rparvana@yahoo.com
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Condolences
To His Family
we
studied together in Amritsar, india
Coastweek--
In your July
9th Coastweek
I read about the sad demise of Dr.
Ravi Magon.
Dr. Ravi Magon and I
studied together in Amritsar, Ravi chose to become a Dentist while I
became a Doctor. I am really sad to learn about his passing away.
Dr.
Nasser M.N, N/A Canada
drnassermn@yahoo.com
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