More Than 470 Daughters Have One Father – Mahesh Savani

by Zohara Kapadia
More Than 470 Daughters Have One Father – Mahesh Savani

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Mahesh Savani is an inspiration. He has not only adopted over 470 girls from his village but also paid for their wedding.

A Story Of Selfless Love
The man with a golden heart. That’s Mahesh Savani from Bhavnagar, Gujarat. A highly successful businessman with interests in diamond trading, real estate and education, Mahesh is known more for his humanitarian work. He has taken it upon himself to bear the wedding expenses of fatherless girls and ensure that nothing falls short. For more than 470 girls, he is a father figure they look up to and love.

Image Courtesy: Outlook Business

So where did it all begin?

Mahesh lost his brother a decade ago. When it was time for his nieces’ wedding, Mahesh stepped up and performed all the duties of a father. That was easy, since they were family. But this incident raised a poignant question in his mind, ‘What about the countless other girls who lose their fathers and find it difficult to arrange for their weddings?’ Another incident that shook him terribly was the death of one of his employees. He passed away just 12 days before his daughter’s wedding. When Mahesh realized that the family was facing hardship in pulling off the wedding, he stepped in as the foster father.

Mahesh then went on to adopt fatherless girls from his village, across religion and caste. He arranged for their weddings and spent around Rs. 4,00,000 on every wedding. Very generously, he has given the brides precious gifts like gold or silver jewelry, clothes, electronics and other household items. In 2014, he conducted a mass wedding for 111 couples in Surat, Gujarat. During this wedding, each couple received gifts worth Rs. 4,50,000. He funds all his endeavors solo and not through donations.

Image Courtesy: Newsgram

It isn’t just money that he spends. Mahesh takes his fatherly responsibilities towards all his adopted daughters seriously. In some cases, he has offered financial assistance for post-wedding as well as maternity costs.

It’s rare to find such human gems. Surely for all these girls, Mahesh isn’t just their foster father, he is a blessing.