Dhirubhai shah
Encyclopedia
Dhirubhai Shah was elected Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

 of the Tenth Gujarat Legislative Assembly on 19 March 1998. He was the youngest Speaker in the history of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

Dhirubhai Shah was born in a Jain family in the village of Bela, Taluka-Rapar, District of Kutch, in Gujarat state. After obtaining degrees in Commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...

 and Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

, he started his legal profession in Gandhidham. Public contacts encouraged him to turn his career to politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

. His devotion to social service appealed to the public. His hard work and commitment to the development of the Kutch region were well accepted by the people, which led to his rise as a leader. He built a firm base to his political philosophy during his tenure as the Leader of the Opposition in Gandhidham Municipality. He served the people through various activities and programmes as President of Gandhidham Municipality and also as Vice President of Gujarat Nagarpalika Parishad for 8 consecutive years. He was honoured with the award "Glory of India 1998" for rendering social services by the India International Friendship Society
India International Friendship Society
The India International Friendship Society is a prominent – though not the only – voluntary organisation seeking to strengthen the ties between India and the international Indian diaspora in the hopes of utilising their potential for the benefit of the country, and at the same to build bridges of...

 at a Seminar on "Economic Development and National Integrity" held in New Delhi. He was also awarded "Gujarat Gaurav Award 1999" for his contribution in the field of Excellent Parliamentary Procedure by the International Association of Educators for World Peace
International Association of Educators for World Peace
The International Association of Educators for World Peace is a nongovernmental organization affiliated with the United Nations and engaged in the promotion of peace education....

, a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 agency.

Dhirubhai Shah has attended and participated in a number of national and international conferences. Besides the All India Presiding Officers' Conferences in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

, Hyderabad, Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

, and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

, Mr. Shah has attended the 44th and 45th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences held in Wellington, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago respectively. He was elected as the Asian Region Member of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (C.P.A.) in September 2000 and attended the 47th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Canberra, Australia. He had the honour of attending the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of H.M. The Queen Elizabeth II, the patron of the C.P.A., held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in March, 2002 and represented the Union of India on the occasion. He also attended the Mid-Year Meeting of the C.P.A. held in Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...

 in 2002.

On 19 November 2003 he was appointed as the Chairman of the Gujarat Finance Commission, a position that he continues to hold.

Dhirubhai Shah died at his residence in Ahmedabad (Gujarat - India) on 17 March 2008 (11:00pm – 11:30pm approx.) suffering from a sudden heart seizure besides his loved ones. He was 56 yrs of age. His body was cremated on 18 March 2008 in noon hrs. A public prayer was held in his remembrance at Kutchi Bhuvan, Paldi, Ahmedabd on 19 March 2008. Also a similar prayer session was held in his hometown, Gandhidham on 21 March 2008.

On 25 March 2008 a special condolence session was taken in Gujarat Legislative Assembly
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 in which Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...

, Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...

 of Gujarat and Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

 Ashok Bhatt conveyed the condolences to the family among others. The house was adjourned for the day after condolences. It was a historical incident wherein posthumously high honour was given to a former speaker of the assembly.

On 20 December 2010 Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...

, Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...

 of Gujarat honoured the statute of Dhirubhai Shah in Gandhidham, the home town of Dhirubhai Shah. The function was attended by over 10000 people. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today described the late former Assembly Speaker Dhirubhai Shah as a man full of life, who lived a fulfilled life. Unveiling his portrait at a function at Gandhidham in Kutch district, Mr Modi said Dhirubhai was one of the rare political leaders who combined values, and who never cared for posts or offices of profit or projecting political heirs. His contributions to the Sindhi community in the Gandhidham-Adipur-Kandla belt in Kutch district will be remembered for long. Mr Modi said how Dhirubhai, even after 1,158 days illness, bore a smile of contentment while departing. His death has created a void, comparable to that by late Arvindbhai Maniar, late Vasantbhai Ganjendra Gadkar and late Makarand Desai. He also remarked that in a public life span of over 3 decades Dhirubhai Shah was one rare politician with a spotless white career.
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