Karachi: Byram D’Awari, one of the most respected and prominent businessmen passed away in Karachi on Sunday night. He was 81 years old.
Awari’s last rites will be performed in Karachi on Monday (today). The family said that the funeral prayer will be offered at Khurshid Villa in the premises of Beach Luxury Hotel at 1 pm.
Awari was also famous as a two-time Asian Games gold medalist in Pakistan. He served as Commodore of Karachi Yacht Club in 1976 and 1980. He won the gold medal in enterprise class yachting with Muneer Sadiq at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok and he repeated the feat in 1982 with his wife Goshpi in New Delhi.
Awari was awarded the Pride of Performance Award for Sports in 1982.
He along with his sons owned and operated the Awari Group of Companies – a leading hotel management company in Pakistan – of which he was the Chairman.
The group owns and operates Awari Hotels, which include a five-star deluxe hotel in Lahore, five-star Awari Towers and Sea Front Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi.
The group is also actively exploring opportunities to own and/or manage three and four star properties elsewhere in Pakistan.
Awari Group was the first Pakistani company to win international hotel management contracts. Currently, they operate a 200-room four-star hotel in Dubai, and manage a 200-room Ramada Inn at Canada’s Pearson Airport in Toronto.
Politicians, sportspersons, business community paid homage to Awari on his death. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in his message that Awari’s services to the country and community will always be remembered.
History and values
Byram’s father taught him and his family to care for the poor. Byram’s father was an orphan, raised in an orphanage in Nausari (India) and a self-made man. Byram and his children were instilled with their father’s vigilance and dynamism.
Avari Group did not lay off its workers in the worst economic conditions.
The key motivation of Byram and his family members was “economic gain” – however their word “gain” meant not only financial gain but honor, recognition, standing in society, fame and a level of recognition.
Byram’s slogan was “We want to give back to the society and our Zoroastrian community of Karachi”.
Honorary CG of Canada
As Honorary Consul of Canada in Karachi since 1985, he dealt with child abduction, forced marriage and divorce proceedings.
Politics
When he was a minority representative in the National Assembly from 1988 to 1993, Byram’s constituency stretched from the Kalash tribe of Chitral to the Sikhs of Punjab to the Bahais of Thatta and the Zoroastrians of Karachi.
Both times he was elected with a double majority over the next competitor.
Some of his achievements include provision of sanitation and drinking water for the Baha’i community of Thatta, opening of Sikh Gurdwaras in Nankana Sahib and Panja Sahib as well as maintenance of English medium in two Parsi schools and Karachi Parsi Anjuman Trust Fund. (KPATF) included.
In 1988, on the death of his father, Dinsha B. Awari (then the social head of Karachi’s Parsi community), Byram was unanimously elected chairman of the KPATF board, a position he holds to this day. .
During these 30 years, Byram managed to keep Parsi schools and institutions private and English-medium, maintained Parsi properties and places of worship and disposed of the dead, provided protection to Parsis in Karachi, held regular informal meetings, And ensured that his group of managers supported the Parsi community 24/7.
