Maharashtra politician Pankaj Parakh buys himself a golden shirt worth crores for 45th birthday

August 9, 2014

Mumbai, Aug 9: James Bond's rival had a golden gun. This school dropout is acquiring a golden shirt that weighs four kilograms and costs a staggering Rs.1.30 crore ($214,000).

But then, Pankaj Parakh, a school dropout who made his fortune from his garment fabrication business and who is a corporator to boot, is no stranger to opulence. Whenever he ventures on to the streets in Yeola, 260 km from Mumbai, women stare at him and men glare at him as he is adorned with gold jewellery weighing at least two-three kg.pankaj parakh gold shirt

Now, at a special function on his 45th birthday Friday, Parakh will wear his latest acquisition at a huge gathering that will include the likes of Maharashtra tourism minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and around a dozen legislators of different parties and celebs.

With the shirt and its seven gold buttons, Parakh hopes to enter the Guinness World Records and the Limca Book of Records.

"Gold has always fascinated me since I was five years old and studying in school. Over the years, I have become passionate about this royal metal. I have got this special shirt stitched to mark my 45th birthday this Friday," said Parakh.

The shirt was designed by Bafna Jewellers of Nashik, 85 km away, and meticulously executed by Shanti Jewellers at Parel in Mumbai, where a team of around 20 select artisans spent 3,200 hours over the past two months to 'stitch' it.

Parakh, who took delivery in Mumbai, offered a sneak peek of his treasured shirt and even wore it for a darshan of the city's famed Siddhivinayak Temple before posing for some pictures near the temple, while curious onlookers watched from a distance.

He said that the gold used in the shirt is of 18-22 carat purity, without any mixture of any other metals - and the entire deal is properly accounted for (an assurance to snoopy tax sleuths!).

Though made of gold, the shirt is fully flexible and comfortable, absolutely smooth and harmless and with a thin cloth lining the inside to avoid rubbing the body.

Besides, it can be washed and hung-dried, and if torn or damaged, can be repaired and modified with a lifetime guarantee of durability, Parakh said.

Recounting his love for gold, Parakh said that in his youth, he could not afford much as he left school after Class 8 and plunged into the family garments business in Yeola, a town of some 60,000 where he is an NCP corporator.

"Yet, for my marriage 23 years ago, many guests considered me an embarrassment as I sported more gold than the bride," he recalled with a chuckle.

Over the years, after taking care of all his family's needs - a good house looked after by wife Pratibha and higher education for his two doting sons Siddharth (22) and Rahul (19), both now in college - Parakh likes to plough back his excess income to finance his passion for acquiring a gilded edge.

"My family is hardly impressed or interested in my love for gold. They just ignore and accept it as a part of domestic life. But the rest of my extended family thinks I am weird," Parakh laughed.

Parakh remembered that when the family attends weddings, he adorns himself with around three kg gold ornaments while his wife looks stark with her 40-50 grams!

"In public, when I go around Yeola, or meet my constituents, I get extreme reactions - some say I flash my wealth, others feel I am poking fun at people's poverty, though women are usually silent observers," he smiled.

However, he felt that though there are many wealthy people in the country, it is his passion for gold - and sheer guts, bolstered by his licensed revolver - that makes him wear so much of the precious yellow metal.

After launching his independent garment business in 1982, he also plunged into politics and has been an elected corporator since 1991.

Yeola is renowned for its Paithani silk saris and the Shalu and Pitamber varieties of saris, considered nationally-recognised brands.

However, despite all the glitter of gold, Parakh turns out to be a genuine, down-to-earth and caring human being, deeply involved in a variety of social and educational activities.

For instance, he has fully financed 120 polio operations in the past five years through the renowned Narayan Seva Sansthan Hospital of Udaipur in Rajasthan.

"I spend at least a week each year to offer voluntary services at the 1,000-bedded hospital, the biggest and best for polio treatment in India. I also arrange for any requirements of the poor patients like food, medicines, surgery and blankets, from which I get immense satisfaction," Parakh said.

Last year Datta Fuge, a businessman from Pimpri-Chinchwad, entered the Guinness World Records with a gold shirt costing Rs.1.27 crore - a record that Parakh hopes to break this year.

Other prominent 'gold men' in Maharashtra include Jagdish Gaikwad of Navi Mumbai (Thane), who rarely ventures outdoors without 3-4 kg gold and the late Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader from Pune, Ramesh Wanjale, and to a certain extent, Guinness Record holder and famed music director Bappi Lahiri of Mumbai.

pankaj3

Comments

Rudy
 - 
Friday, 12 Feb 2016

Greetings from Florida! I'm bored to death at work so
I decided too browse your website on my iphonje during lunch break.
Ienjoy the knowledge you provide here and can't wait tto takme a look
when I get home.I'm surprised at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone ..
I'm not even sing WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, amazing site!

Look into my homepage: at home store gold iran: http://www.inbusiness.com/Company/Selfira_LLC_27F1

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Media Release
April 16,2020

Dammam: President of Indian Social Forum, Eastern Province Mr.Wasim Rabbani urged immediate intervention of Indian government to help Non Residential Indians who are in trouble due to corona pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

He said in a press rease that expatriate Indians are in concern  as number of corona infected people and  deaths are increasing in danger level.

Hea said, "the Saudi health minister's statement a few days ago indicates that the situation in Saudi needs to be taken more seriously with precautionary methods. There are concerns among expatriates because the number of people infected with the coronavirus and the number of deaths reported in various provinces are increasing at an alarming rate."

"Saudi Government and Health Ministry are taking excellent precautionary measures, however, in the coming days expect to see the number of cases to increase in Saudi Arabia. The Indian government needs to take diplomatic and immediate intervention to ensure the treatment of Indian expatriates considering the number of effected people increasing", He said.

He also urged that the Embassy and the Government of India should ensure qaurantiane faculty for Indian expatriates and arrange special low cost flights to bring back expatriates who would like to return home country.

" Government of India and Indian embassy need to intervene immediately to ensure that the quarantine system is in place for Indian expatriates as the facilities in the rooms where the residents are staying together are very limited. There should also be a mechanism to organize low-cost flight services for expatriates who are ready to go home. The government system should also be able to accommodate the expatriates in special quarantine areas in hometown as soon they arrive in India", he urged.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 9,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 9: The total number of Covid-19 infections in Karnataka on Thursday breached the 30,000 mark as the state reported its biggest single-day spike of over 2,200 new cases and 17 related fatalities, taking the death toll to 486, the Health department said.

The day also saw a record 957 patients getting discharged after recovery, out of which 606 were from Bengaluru Urban.

Out of the 2,228 fresh cases reported on Thursday, a whopping 1,373 were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

The previous biggest single-day spike was recorded on July 8 with 2,062 cases.

As of July 9 evening, cumulatively 31,105 Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 486 deaths and 12,833 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin.

It said, out of 17,782 active cases, 17,325 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 457 are in ICU.

"Death rate in Karnataka is 1.49 percent, while in Bengaluru is 1.28 percent, and our target is to bring it below 1 percent," Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar told reporters.

"The reason for spike in cases in Bengaluru and other places in recent days is because during the last four months of lockdown we had controlled it very well, but as we relaxed lockdown for economic activities we did not follow certain precautionary measures like distance among other things," he said.

The Minister also conceded that there were lapses on part of the government also in terms of tracing and tracking.

"It has to be improved especially in Bengaluru and we are taking steps in this regard."

Among the 17 dead seven were from Dharwad, two each from Hassan, Kalaburagi, Mysuru, and one each from Raichur, Uttara Kannada, Tumakuru and Davangere.

The deceased include 13 men and 4 women.

The dead are all either with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI).

Out of 2,228 fresh cases today, contacts of the majority of the cases are still under tracing.

Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 1,373, followed by Dakshina Kannada (167), Kalaburagi (85) and Dharwad (75).

Bengaluru urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 13,882 infections, followed by Kalaburagi (1,901) and Dakshina Kannada 1,701.

Among discharges Bengaluru urban tops the list with total 2,834, followed by Kalabuagi (1,392) and Udupi (1,206).

A total of 7,79,209 samples were tested so far, out of which 20,028 were tested on Thursday alone.

So far 7,28,887 samples have been reported as negative, and of them 17,568 were reported negative today.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 22,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 22: The opening of Schools in the state, is unlikely before Dasara festival, as a majority of the parents are averse to send their children due to the COVID-19 scare.

According to official sources, in the State education department, a majority of parents, who were asked to give their opinion on re-opening of schools in the state, have reportedly favoured continuing the closing of schools till September.

The primary and Secondary education department had received feedback from various stakeholders including educational institutions, parents and Teachers, clocking high towards not opening the schools for the 2020-21 academic year till Dasara days.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.