9 entries.
On behalf of Saptah Mandir we wish to record our sympathies and condolences to the Dhupelia
family on the sudden and tragic passing away of a very noble and gentle soul ,Satish.
The Dhupelia family’s contribution to Saptah Mandir has been enormous. That legacy was
carried through by Satish who joined and assisted the Mandir in many capacities especially In
the early years in town. One of our most memorable moments was during the official opening of
the New Saptah Mandir in Reservoir Hills, where he spent 4 glorious days capturing the various
events and celebrations in August 2005.
His passion for photography knew no limits. His expertise and methodical planning was an
inspiration to many of our devotees. Satish showed a power of humility, compassion and love
for children. His commitment to Saptah Mandir never waivered. He insisted that he be allowed
to compere our Chandani Chowk Food Festival during our Saptah Celebrations.
He relished that opportunity to be part of Saptah Mandir. He enjoyed those moments where he
got a chance to interact with the community and also catch up with old friends.
This selfless seva will undoubtedly be treasured in the corridors of Saptah Mandir for many many
years.
His sudden passing away will leave a huge void in our Saptah Mandir and the greater Gujarati
and Indian community.
We pray to Paramatma to grant this noble soul eternal peace and the family the strength and
courage to bear this huge loss.
Kind regards,
Jayesh Koovarjee
Secretary
family on the sudden and tragic passing away of a very noble and gentle soul ,Satish.
The Dhupelia family’s contribution to Saptah Mandir has been enormous. That legacy was
carried through by Satish who joined and assisted the Mandir in many capacities especially In
the early years in town. One of our most memorable moments was during the official opening of
the New Saptah Mandir in Reservoir Hills, where he spent 4 glorious days capturing the various
events and celebrations in August 2005.
His passion for photography knew no limits. His expertise and methodical planning was an
inspiration to many of our devotees. Satish showed a power of humility, compassion and love
for children. His commitment to Saptah Mandir never waivered. He insisted that he be allowed
to compere our Chandani Chowk Food Festival during our Saptah Celebrations.
He relished that opportunity to be part of Saptah Mandir. He enjoyed those moments where he
got a chance to interact with the community and also catch up with old friends.
This selfless seva will undoubtedly be treasured in the corridors of Saptah Mandir for many many
years.
His sudden passing away will leave a huge void in our Saptah Mandir and the greater Gujarati
and Indian community.
We pray to Paramatma to grant this noble soul eternal peace and the family the strength and
courage to bear this huge loss.
Kind regards,
Jayesh Koovarjee
Secretary
I met Satish a few years ago and we became friends instantly, firstly, through singing and thereafter many other things. We both enjoyed the theatre, movies and going to our favourite curry house Bombay Blue.
Satish loved pudding and when he came to visit a peppermint tart was made for him but he became a vegan so no more pudding for him.
Satish was an exceptional man, a great humanitarian, a gentleman, a wonderful father and to me a great and reliable friend.
I will sorely miss our 3 to 4 times a week chat and our discussions on a wide range of topics.
Rest in peace my adopted brother. Love you
Vic
Satish loved pudding and when he came to visit a peppermint tart was made for him but he became a vegan so no more pudding for him.
Satish was an exceptional man, a great humanitarian, a gentleman, a wonderful father and to me a great and reliable friend.
I will sorely miss our 3 to 4 times a week chat and our discussions on a wide range of topics.
Rest in peace my adopted brother. Love you
Vic
Satish, Dhups, as we called him, and I started teaching in 1977 at Port Shepstone Secondary School. Our friendship started as travelling colleagues, and in a few weeks we were great friends and later family. With Satish there was never a dull moment . His anecdotes, wit, humor and appropriate remarks made the trip exciting and memorable. He acted on the spur of the moment and would suddenly deviate from the main road and we would sit and chat overlooking the beach.
His ability to come up with a smart answer or solution, with the added wit or humor was amazing. He had no inhibitions and would play tricks on anyone, including the principal and vice-principals. Amazingly they never took offence and when I once said to him" Hey Dhups one of the days you will cross the line" His immediate response was "Don't worry bro we will cross that line when we come to it. However the Principal smiled and said that he enjoyed it because Satish made him realize that he was a human being and part of the group. That was Satish, he could do anything and no one would take offence. He had no malice or ill feelings. I really cannot remember ever seeing him angry.
I could write a best seller just about our trips to Shepstone on a Sunday or sometimes in the early hours Monday morning and the return trips on Friday. That's probably a side of him I enjoyed and sometimes wonder whether we really got up to these things. He was simply a great human being, with a thought for everybody.
He always said to me that we must take a trip to Port Shepstone and spend the day with our friends. However, we kept procrastinating.
Whenever we met he would remind me of some of the things we did and we could look back and laugh it off. Some serious, and others just pranks from two first year teachers enjoying life. That was what Satish promoted- enjoy life end he did just that. He was fun to be with and could make a joke of any situation. On the flipside he was very philosophical would listen and give sound advice , with a few witty remarks in between to lighten the mood - a true all rounder.
My memory of Satish is most appropriately captured in the sketch with Satish and Mahatma Gandhi by Nanda Soobben. Go well my dear friend.
His ability to come up with a smart answer or solution, with the added wit or humor was amazing. He had no inhibitions and would play tricks on anyone, including the principal and vice-principals. Amazingly they never took offence and when I once said to him" Hey Dhups one of the days you will cross the line" His immediate response was "Don't worry bro we will cross that line when we come to it. However the Principal smiled and said that he enjoyed it because Satish made him realize that he was a human being and part of the group. That was Satish, he could do anything and no one would take offence. He had no malice or ill feelings. I really cannot remember ever seeing him angry.
I could write a best seller just about our trips to Shepstone on a Sunday or sometimes in the early hours Monday morning and the return trips on Friday. That's probably a side of him I enjoyed and sometimes wonder whether we really got up to these things. He was simply a great human being, with a thought for everybody.
He always said to me that we must take a trip to Port Shepstone and spend the day with our friends. However, we kept procrastinating.
Whenever we met he would remind me of some of the things we did and we could look back and laugh it off. Some serious, and others just pranks from two first year teachers enjoying life. That was what Satish promoted- enjoy life end he did just that. He was fun to be with and could make a joke of any situation. On the flipside he was very philosophical would listen and give sound advice , with a few witty remarks in between to lighten the mood - a true all rounder.
My memory of Satish is most appropriately captured in the sketch with Satish and Mahatma Gandhi by Nanda Soobben. Go well my dear friend.
At Nedbank, we learnt with sadness of the passing of one of your gallant members, Satish.
It was a pleasure to get to know Satish in the short time that we got to interact with him as part of the 1860 Heritage Centre Museum team.
I can still remember how well he narrated the story of the arrival of his forefathers in South Africa and how that turned to be a South African story.
A great person and leader in the community. He will be sorely missed as he still had a lot to share.
Please pass our condolences to his family and the rest of the 1860 Heritage Centre team.
Regards
Siphamandla Ndhlovu
Provincial General Manager | Client Network – RBB KZN
Nedbank
It was a pleasure to get to know Satish in the short time that we got to interact with him as part of the 1860 Heritage Centre Museum team.
I can still remember how well he narrated the story of the arrival of his forefathers in South Africa and how that turned to be a South African story.
A great person and leader in the community. He will be sorely missed as he still had a lot to share.
Please pass our condolences to his family and the rest of the 1860 Heritage Centre team.
Regards
Siphamandla Ndhlovu
Provincial General Manager | Client Network – RBB KZN
Nedbank
Very humble person
Satish’s mother’s cousins live in Akola, India.
In India, a person's age as well as position is respected by bowing to them and by adding an appropriate suffix to their name. Few of those cousins were younger than Satish. Yet from his young age till his ripe age he offered the respect to them by bowing and also suffixing their names with ‘mama’ or ‘masi’ meaning uncle and aunt.
Satish’s mother’s cousins live in Akola, India.
In India, a person's age as well as position is respected by bowing to them and by adding an appropriate suffix to their name. Few of those cousins were younger than Satish. Yet from his young age till his ripe age he offered the respect to them by bowing and also suffixing their names with ‘mama’ or ‘masi’ meaning uncle and aunt.
I have just heard of the passing of Brother Satish Dhupelia, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. I am in shock. After a week of grief this news has really shaken me even further.
Satish was a great humanitarian and activist. He was also a great friend of the Advice Desk for the Abused and always assisted the organisation in whichever way he could. He always assisted the poor and needy and through his work in the Sherwood / Mayville area he always made a difference to the lives of so many.
You will be sorely missed...?
Satish was a great humanitarian and activist. He was also a great friend of the Advice Desk for the Abused and always assisted the organisation in whichever way he could. He always assisted the poor and needy and through his work in the Sherwood / Mayville area he always made a difference to the lives of so many.
You will be sorely missed...?
Incredibly sad to hear about Satish Dhupelia's death. Angry too because he gave so much to the world and had so much more to give. I never failed to be roused to emotion by his posts , some of them leaving me laughing hysterically. He had a passion for life that manifested in his love for people, his family, animals and his need to make a positive impact. Satish was a good man and within his proximity, that sheer clarity of heart engulfed you like a big hug. When he got ill I messaged him and he said he was on the mend. The outpouring of grief on social media gives one the impression that he had a million friends but the reality is that his posts drew people to him: his humanity, compassion, community spirit, his acute insight into the human condition. He leaves behind deep pain in the hearts of all those who loved him.
Kirti Menon, Sunil Menon, Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, Sunita Menon , his daughter and other loved ones. My heart is with you all. I only just heard...was away. God bless you all and try to draw strength from the memories. RIP Satish Bhai...god bless.
Kirti Menon, Sunil Menon, Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, Sunita Menon , his daughter and other loved ones. My heart is with you all. I only just heard...was away. God bless you all and try to draw strength from the memories. RIP Satish Bhai...god bless.
Until I see you again .... Mr D - Rest In Peace
By Rishaad Mahomed
Satish Dhupelia, well known activist, humanitarian, CPF member and great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi passed away on Sunday 22 November at 4.30pm.
He was a man who was rarely seen without a smile and had the gift of befriending almost anyone regardless of age, gender or race.
I met him more than twenty five years ago and we immediately bonded, becoming best friends. If any man knew more of my secrets, or about my life, it was him .
He was my best man at my wedding, and a huge part of my life, as I was of his. Whilst he was still married, I was still considered his other half, and we were inseparable and together on a daily basis .
Sats, or Dhups as he was fondly referred to, had an army of friends who he always had time for, and who he would go out of his way for when they were in need, was a teacher and pistol shooting enthusiast. He was also one of the most popular and sought after wedding and concert videographers.
His passion for video was only surpassed by his passion for helping people. He had a genuine love for people in general, especially those in need, making him a true humanitarian.
We both loved old music by singers like John Lennon and Jim Reeves and of late his passion for music had him frequenting Karaoke nights where he sang his favourite songs.
I always told him that he would make a good politician and that I would vote for him, but he felt that politics was not for him, and he would rather be an activist fighting against crime and poverty.
He was proud of his 3 kids, Misha, Shashika and Kabir and gave them the best of education. He gave them an upbringing that made them independent thinkers and helped them fuel their passions.
I had never seen him discipline them or raise his voice at them. He was more of a friend to them than a father. Once Kabir pushed him into a pool, phone and all, and despite the phone being water damaged, Satish just smiled and didn’t say a word to Kabir. I would have probably lost my cool. He didn’t.
Over the years we grew apart, but he was always my first and only best friend. I couldn’t replace him in my life, at least not on the same level of friendship that we shared.
In the last month we met twice, and spoke several times before and while he was in hospital. He had an unexplained cough that just wouldn’t go away. Doctors hospitalized him for pneumonia and whilst treating him for that he picked up a bug in hospital. He had to go back to hospital for doctors to figure out what had infected him. Through it all he remained positive of getting better and being home soon.
On Wednesday 11 November he sent me this WhatsApp message :
“Doc just came in Seems they knocked out pneumonia but I have picked up a serious hospital infection that is causing all this drama. This does happen because one is weak after pneumonia, unfortunately no visitors, not even family, “ he said.
On Monday 16 November he was feeling a lot better and was hopeful of being discharged on Tuesday, the next day.
Thursday 19 November, I wished him for his 66th birthday. He was at home. Friday his saturation levels dropped and despite having an oxygen tank at home he had to be rushed by ambulance to hospital where he tested positive for covid 19.
Sunday he suffered a massive heart attack and could not be revived .
Condolences from shocked friends and fellow activists filled social media on Sunday night.
Sats, you have left your indelible imprint on all the people whose lives you have touched and I will miss you my (best) friend.
Stay in the light
By Rishaad Mahomed
Satish Dhupelia, well known activist, humanitarian, CPF member and great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi passed away on Sunday 22 November at 4.30pm.
He was a man who was rarely seen without a smile and had the gift of befriending almost anyone regardless of age, gender or race.
I met him more than twenty five years ago and we immediately bonded, becoming best friends. If any man knew more of my secrets, or about my life, it was him .
He was my best man at my wedding, and a huge part of my life, as I was of his. Whilst he was still married, I was still considered his other half, and we were inseparable and together on a daily basis .
Sats, or Dhups as he was fondly referred to, had an army of friends who he always had time for, and who he would go out of his way for when they were in need, was a teacher and pistol shooting enthusiast. He was also one of the most popular and sought after wedding and concert videographers.
His passion for video was only surpassed by his passion for helping people. He had a genuine love for people in general, especially those in need, making him a true humanitarian.
We both loved old music by singers like John Lennon and Jim Reeves and of late his passion for music had him frequenting Karaoke nights where he sang his favourite songs.
I always told him that he would make a good politician and that I would vote for him, but he felt that politics was not for him, and he would rather be an activist fighting against crime and poverty.
He was proud of his 3 kids, Misha, Shashika and Kabir and gave them the best of education. He gave them an upbringing that made them independent thinkers and helped them fuel their passions.
I had never seen him discipline them or raise his voice at them. He was more of a friend to them than a father. Once Kabir pushed him into a pool, phone and all, and despite the phone being water damaged, Satish just smiled and didn’t say a word to Kabir. I would have probably lost my cool. He didn’t.
Over the years we grew apart, but he was always my first and only best friend. I couldn’t replace him in my life, at least not on the same level of friendship that we shared.
In the last month we met twice, and spoke several times before and while he was in hospital. He had an unexplained cough that just wouldn’t go away. Doctors hospitalized him for pneumonia and whilst treating him for that he picked up a bug in hospital. He had to go back to hospital for doctors to figure out what had infected him. Through it all he remained positive of getting better and being home soon.
On Wednesday 11 November he sent me this WhatsApp message :
“Doc just came in Seems they knocked out pneumonia but I have picked up a serious hospital infection that is causing all this drama. This does happen because one is weak after pneumonia, unfortunately no visitors, not even family, “ he said.
On Monday 16 November he was feeling a lot better and was hopeful of being discharged on Tuesday, the next day.
Thursday 19 November, I wished him for his 66th birthday. He was at home. Friday his saturation levels dropped and despite having an oxygen tank at home he had to be rushed by ambulance to hospital where he tested positive for covid 19.
Sunday he suffered a massive heart attack and could not be revived .
Condolences from shocked friends and fellow activists filled social media on Sunday night.
Sats, you have left your indelible imprint on all the people whose lives you have touched and I will miss you my (best) friend.
Stay in the light
TRIBUTE TO SATISH DHUPELIA FROM ACROSS THE SEAS
I've known Satish from the time he was about 5 years old. Our families lived on the fourth floor of Kismet Arcade for many years . Its been a long friendship, full of love, respect and caring. He later taught my children Kirshni & Prakash at Gandhi Desai and then became their friends too.
To his sisters, Uma and Kirti, his children and the rest of the family, our deepest sympathy to all of you. You have lost a treasure. No amount of words can console yo , but just know that we share in your sorrow. God bless all of you and give you the strength to cope with this terrible loss.
I am devastated as I feel as if I have lost a son today. When I was in Durban 3 years ago, he found time to take me out for lunch. He was the same humble, caring, thoughtful, respectful person I have always known him to be.
Satish has done so much in his short life and has achieved so much satisfaction. Caring, for him was doing things, just not talking about them. And all those whom he helped will miss him sorely.
I always look forward to his FB posts. He was always so informative and entertaining , keeping us connected with the news of Natal and the rest of South Africa. Something that we truly appreciated being so far away from home, especially because we knew we always got the truth from him. He also sent us beautiful pictures of Durban and its surroundings and he provided us with lots of laughter with his quips and amusing stories, told only as Satish could.
FB will never be the same without him. South Africa will never be the same.
May Satish's soul rest in peace and may he continue to be your guiding light.
I've known Satish from the time he was about 5 years old. Our families lived on the fourth floor of Kismet Arcade for many years . Its been a long friendship, full of love, respect and caring. He later taught my children Kirshni & Prakash at Gandhi Desai and then became their friends too.
To his sisters, Uma and Kirti, his children and the rest of the family, our deepest sympathy to all of you. You have lost a treasure. No amount of words can console yo , but just know that we share in your sorrow. God bless all of you and give you the strength to cope with this terrible loss.
I am devastated as I feel as if I have lost a son today. When I was in Durban 3 years ago, he found time to take me out for lunch. He was the same humble, caring, thoughtful, respectful person I have always known him to be.
Satish has done so much in his short life and has achieved so much satisfaction. Caring, for him was doing things, just not talking about them. And all those whom he helped will miss him sorely.
I always look forward to his FB posts. He was always so informative and entertaining , keeping us connected with the news of Natal and the rest of South Africa. Something that we truly appreciated being so far away from home, especially because we knew we always got the truth from him. He also sent us beautiful pictures of Durban and its surroundings and he provided us with lots of laughter with his quips and amusing stories, told only as Satish could.
FB will never be the same without him. South Africa will never be the same.
May Satish's soul rest in peace and may he continue to be your guiding light.