As January 27, 2020 marked the 134^th birth anniversary of Jamshed Nusserwanjee (1886-1952), a Pakistan-based philanthropist and the first elected mayor of Karachi, the Karachi Theosophical Society organised a gathering at the auditorium of the Jamshed Memorial Hall to pay tribute to Nusserwanjee and discuss his various achievements as a mayor, philanthropist and architect whose developmental contributions earned him the title of ‘Maker of Modern Karachi’.

Many speakers stressed the need to understand and acknowledge the contributions of non-Muslim communities, especially Parsis. A large number of Parsis attended the gathering to pay homage to Nusserwanjee.

Hamid Mayet, the General Secretary of the Theosophical Society shared how during Nusserwanjee’s tenure, Karachi was known as the cleanest city, and stressed the importance for the new generation to know of the founders of Karachi and their contributions. Dr. Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education Department at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute, praised Nusserwanjee for his crucial role in the developmental and political movements in Karachi and rural Sindh.

Pakistan Institute of International Affairs Chairperson, Dr. Masuma Hasan, shared how after retiring from politics in 1940, Nusserwanjee devoted his life to social work, and the extent of his involvement could be judged from the fact that he was active in 77 welfare-oriented institutions.