Ceylon/Sri Lanka Tri-Colored Pearl Necklace - Nizam of Hyderabad Pearl Necklace
Origin of Name:-
The necklace gets its name obviously from the source
of the pearls that constitute it, viz. Ceylon (Sri Lanka), one of the
most ancient sources of saltwater pearls in the world, whose rich pearl
banks in the Gulf of Mannar together with the pearl banks of the Persian
Gulf and the Red Sea, was the hub of the international pearl trade since
time immemorial. According to the "Mahawamsa" (The Great
Chronicle), that records the history of Sri Lanka from the 5th century
B.C. the pearl industry was already well established in Sri Lanka, at
the time of arrival of Prince Vijaya, a Kalinga (ancient Orissa) prince,
who landed in Sri Lanka with his followers near the Mannar coast, in the
5th century B.C. The Sinhalese, the major ethnic group living in the
island nation, trace their ancestry to the north Indian prince. The "Mahawamsa"
states that at the time King Vijaya married a princess from India, he
sent a gift of a shell pearl worth twice a hundred thousand pieces of
money, to his father-in-law, the Pandu king of India. Another gift of
valuable pearls from Sri Lanka from the King Devanampiyatissa to Emperor
Ashoka Maurya of India during the period 265 B.C. to 238 B.C. that was
dispatched to India through Prince Mahindra, the son of Emperor Ashoka,
who visited Sri Lanka at the time, is also recorded in the Mahawamsa.
Sri Lanka was known to the ancient Greeks as "Palaesimoundu"
and "Taprobane" and the island of Mannar, the center of the pearl trade
was known as "Epidorus." The early Arab travelers called Sri Lanka by
several names, such as "Serendib," (Island of Rubies), "Saheelan" and "Seylan."
The European travelers form the 13th century onwards called the island "Zeylan"
derived from the Arabic "Seylan." Eventually as the island nation was
colonized by the British in the late 18th century, the country came to
be known as "Ceylon."
The seven-stranded pearl necklace is tri-colored,
with three color zones in it, golden-yellow, yellow and white, which are
common colors found in pearls produced by the pearl oyster Pinctada
radiata, the species of oyster found in the Gulf of Mannar.
Characteristics of
the tri-colored Ceylon Pearl Necklace
The Ceylon Pearl Necklace is a seven-stranded
necklace, with each strand consisting of natural Ceylon pearls perfectly
matched for both size and color. The size of the pearls are not known,
but the appearance of the pearls in the photograph show that they are of
almost uniform size throughout the length of the strands, perhaps falling within
the range of seed pearls. According to a modern definition, pearls that
have a size of <2mm in diameter or < 0.25 grains in weight, are known as
seed pearls. But this definition had varied from time to time.
Previously pearls <5 mm in diameter were classified as seed
pearls. However, given the fact that the species of pearl oyster found
in the Gulf of Mannar, in Sri Lanka, is a variety of Pinctada radiata
belonging to the Pinctada fucata/imbricata/martensii/radiata complex, it
is highly probable that the pearls in the necklace are seed pearls,
because this species is well known for producing seed pearls.
The length of the individual strands are not known,
but the overall appearance of the necklace is equivalent to that of a
modern festoon pearl necklace. The length of the strands are undoubtedly
greater than 28 ins.(71 cm), and under the modern Mikimoto
classification of pearl necklaces, all strands fall under the categories
of "opera" and "rope."
The composite necklace clearly shows three different
color zones, each with a different shade of color :- golden yellow,
yellow and white. These are some of the common colors of pearls produced
by the pearl oyster Pinctada radiata. The golden-yellow colored zone
occupies the lower curvature of the festoon. The yellow colored zones
are intermediate situated on either side of the necklace between the
golden-yellow and white colored zones. The white colored zones are
situated on either side of the necklace, at its two ends, above the
yellow colored zones.
The festoon necklace has no clasp, as in modern
necklaces. Instead a tough silk rope connects the two ends of the
necklace occupied by a horizontal metallic bar made of silver or gold,
from which the seven strands on either side arise. This arrangement has
the added advantage of displaying all the pearls in the necklace,
without some pearls being hidden behind the neck. The necklace is
believed to have belonged to Mir Usman Ali Khan, the seventh and the
last Nizam of Hyderabad, who ruled from 1911 to 1948, one of the
wealthiest men in the world at that time, and also a great collector of
pearls. The fact that there are several other necklaces of this design
made of pearls as well as other gemstones, in the collection of jewelry
that once belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad, exhibited today at the
Museum of Hyderabad, undoubtedly confirms the previous ownership of the
necklace. Such necklaces with a silk rope behind instead of a clasp, was
a common Indian design found among the jewelry of the Mughals, as well
as other Maharajahs of India.
History of the Ceylon
Pearl Necklace
The source of the
pearls in the necklace
The source of the pearls in the Ceylon Pearl Necklace
or the Nizam of Hyderabad Pearl necklace, is the pearl banks on the Sri
Lankan side of the Gulf of Mannar, in the Kondaichchi Bay, on the
northwest coast of Sri Lanka, just south of the Mannar Island. Some of
the villages in the Kondaichchi Bay, from where the pearl fishing
operations were carried out were Silavatturai, Arippu and
Marichchukkaddi. The pearl banks on the Sri Lankan side of the Gulf of
Mannar were richer than the pearl banks on the Indian side off the coast
of Tinnelvelly in Tuticorin.
Pearl banks of the Gulf of Mannar
Pearl trade of Sri
Lanka from the 10th-century B.C. to the 1st-century B.C.
The Gulf of Mannar together with the Persian Gulf and
the Red Sea were reputed to be the hub of the international pearl trade
since very ancient times. Pearls from the Gulf of Mannar are believed to
have reached the courts of the kings and emperors of ancient empires
such as the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Phoenician, Scythian, Roman,
Byzantine etc. In the 10th-century B.C. King Solomon's ships are
believed to have reached the ports of Sri Lanka, from where they
collected pearls, rubies, sapphires, ivory and peacocks. The Phoenician
trade fleets are also believed to have reached the Gulf of Mannar to
purchase pearls. As pointed out earlier, the antiquity of the pearl
trade in Sri Lanka has been recorded in the historical chronicles of Sri
Lanka, such as the Mahawamsa (the Great Chronicle) and the Chulawamsa
(the Lesser Chronicle), pearls being sent as gifts by Kings of Sri Lanka
to Indian Kings in the 5th-century and 3rd-century B.C. Megasthenes, the
Greek Ambassador to the Mauryan King Chandragupta, wrote in the
3rd-century B.C. that "the Island of Taprobane was more productive of
gold and large pearls than the Indias."
Pearling Stations in the Bay of Kondaichchi
Pearl trade of Sri
Lanka from the 1st-century A.D. to the 15th-century A.D.
In the year 60 A.D. the
Greek author who wrote the "Periplus of the Erythraen Sea," gives an
account of the pearl fishery in the Gulf of Mannar. The Arabs who became
a maritime power between the 6th to 15th centuries A.D. reached the Gulf
of Mannar during this period and took an active part in the pearl
fisheries held annually. The Arab pearl divers of the Persian Gulf were
renowned as the best pearl divers in the world, and their participation
in the pearl fishery at Mannar, helped in the introduction of new diving
techniques into the region. Both the Arab jewelers and merchants, and
the local Sinhalese and Tamil Kings of Sri Lanka benefited immensely by
Arab participation. While the local rulers were assured of an attractive
price for their pearls, the Arabs were assured of a regular supply of
good quality pearls, which fetched very high prices in the Baghdad pearl
market. The Arab dominance in the world trade continued until the
emergence of western nations such as Spain, Portugal, Netherlands,
France and Britain as maritime powers in the 15th-century A.D.
The entry of western
nations into the pearl trade of the Gulf of Mannar, destabilizes the
area and causes hardships for the inhabitants
The first western nation to reach the shores of Sri
Lanka, were the Portuguese, who colonized the coastal areas of the
southern part of the Island in 1505. However, the Portuguese were not
able to take control of the pearl banks at Kondaichchi Bay in the
northwest region of the Island, as the area was under the control of the
Jaffna kingdom, whose rulers successfully fought the Portuguese and kept
them at bay for 114 years, until the year 1619, when they finally
captured Jaffna. The atrocities committed by the Portuguese in Jaffna in
1619, killing thousands of innocent civilians and razing to the ground
all ancient Hindu temples, was almost equivalent to the atrocities
committed by the Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernan Cortez, 100 years
earlier in October 1519 at Cholula, in central Mexico, when Cortez's
forces were marching towards Tenochtitlan, the prosperous capital of the
Aztec empire, led by Montezuma II. The Portuguese were able to exploit
the pearl banks of the Kondaichchi Bay only for a short period until
1658, when the area including Jaffna came under the control of the
Dutch. On the Indian side of the Gulf of Mannar, the Portuguese were
more successful taking control of the pearl banks off the coast of
Tinnelvelly in Tuticorin, in the mid-16th century, after the mass scale
proseletization of the Parawa community by St. Francis Xavier in 1544.
However, in retrospect one can see that the entry of the western nations
into the pearl trade in the Gulf of Mannar was a disaster for the people
of the area and their livelihood, as these nations used their fire power
to terrorize the people, that caused a lot of tension and insecurity in
the area, where hitherto pearling activities had taken place in a
peaceful atmosphere for thousands of years.
Exploitation of the
pearl resources by the Dutch and the British
The Dutch who took control of the Mannar pearl banks
in 1658, continued their exploitation until the year 1796, when the
British ousted the Dutch from the Island. Pearl fishing during the Dutch
period were conducted every 3 years. The interval of 3 years gave
sufficient time for the regeneration of oyster populations, and for
pearls if any inside the oysters, to grow to an optimum size. The Dutch
did not play a direct part in the exploitation, but sold the fishing
rights to private entrepreneurs. The British who took control of the
pearl banks in 1796, initially followed the Dutch method of selling the
fishing rights to private entrepreneurs, but government officials
determined which areas were to be fished, the number of boats that could
be used and how long the fishing would last. However, after 1833, the
British played a more direct role in the fishing activities, hiring
boats and divers to work for them under official supervision. The
government took two-thirds of the share of every catch, leaving one-third
to the divers and boat owners. The government share was subsequently
sold by auction to pearl traders and merchants, who processed the
oysters for pearls by putrefaction in pits and subsequent washing with
large quantities of water, all carried out by the sea shore. Seed pearls
usually occur as multiple pearls in a single oyster, but the
putrefaction usually scatters the pearls. Instances of up to 150 seed
pearls in a single oyster have been reported.
The last pearl
fishery conducted by the British in 1906
Pearling activities had been regularly conducted by
the British, but their had been disruptions on at least five occasions
during the period they exploited the banks from 1797 to 1906, due to
serious depletion of oyster resources in the pearl banks, partly due to
over exploitation, and partly due to other natural causes such as
predation by skate and other voracious fish, burial of young oysters
under shifting sands, washing away of young oysters by strong underwater
currents etc. The last pearl fishery was held by the British in 1906 at
Marichchukkaddi, presided over by Leonard Woolf, Government Agent at
Jaffna Kachcheri (secretariat), and was a failure lasting only 11 days
from February 20 to April 3, even though over 25,000 people, that
included pearl divers, boat owners, merchants, dealers, financiers,
shop-keepers, shark charmers, criminals, police and government officials
attended.
Attempts to culture
pearls in Sri Lanka after 1906 by a British company ends in failure
The British then decided to sell its monopoly in
pearling to a private company which attempted to culture pearl oysters
in farms, and artificially induce them to produce pearls. This was the
time, when in Japan, Kokichi Mikimoto, had already successfully cultured
"mabe" pearls, and was trying to perfect a commercially viable technique
to culture spherical pearls, which he eventually achieved only in
1916, after adopting the Mise-Nishikawa technique. The Sri Lankan
experiment to culture pearls by artificial seeding was a disaster, and
the company closed down after incurring enormous losses. So ends the
story of pearling in the Gulf of Mannar, in Sri Lanka, one of the most
ancient sources of natural pearls in the world, which had adorned the
courts of kings and emperors throughout the history of mankind.
No organized pearling
activities in Sri Lanka after 1906. Prospects for the future after
restoration of peace in Sri Lanka.
There had been no organized pearling activities in
the region since 1906, and the status quo continues to this day. On the
Indian side of the Gulf, considerable success has been achieved in the
culturing of pearls, with Japanese technical assistance. But
unfortunately in Sri Lanka no headway could be made in introducing
Japanese technology to the region, as it was under the control of the
Tamil Tiger rebels. Now, with the elimination of the Tamil Tiger rebel
movement and restoration of peace to the Island nation, it is hoped that
the Government of Sri Lanka, would provide the necessary incentives and
encouragement, for private companies to invest in the lucrative pearl
culturing industry, in collaboration with the Chinese or the Japanese,
who have made considerable headway in the industry, and thus restore Sri
Lanka's fame as a pearl producing center for the entire world.
Marketing of Sri
Lankan pearls in ancient times
During the period when Arabs were heavily involved in
the pearl trade from the 7th to 13th centuries A.D., the pearls acquired
by the Arab traders were eventually sold in the pearl markets of capital
cities such as Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo. After the western nations
entered the pearl trade, Sri Lankan pearls appeared in the pearl markets
of London, Paris, Amsterdam and other capital cities. However, during
the British period the bulk of the pearls were purchased by Indian
chetties who carried the pearls to Bombay, the regional center of the
pearl trade, which also attracted the bulk of the pearl production from
the Persian Gulf. At Bombay the pearls were sorted according to quality,
perforated and strung into necklaces, and sold to the wealthy
Maharajah's of India, who paid much higher prices for pearls, than what
could be obtained from the pearl dealers in London. A substantial
quantity of the pearls also reached the London pearl markets, but it was
nearly impossible to buy any really fine pearls in Colombo, the capital
of Sri Lanka.
Was the tri-colored
Ceylon Pearl necklace strung together in Bombay or Hyderabad ?
Thus, it appears that the Ceylon Pearl Necklace which
is the subject of this webpage was also strung into a seven-stranded
pearl necklace at Bombay, and subsequently sold to an agent of the
Nizam of Hyderabad. Alternatively it was also possible, that the loose
pearls were purchased by the agents of the Nizam, and then after
matching for color, size and other qualities, were subsequently strung
into the unique tri-colored seven-stranded necklace by the jewelers of
the Nizam's court at Hyderabad.
Who was the Nizam-ul-Mulk at
the time the Ceylon Pearl Necklace entered the court at Hyderabad ?
Founding of the
kingdom of Hyderabad
The State of Hyderabad that was situated in the south
central region of the Indian sub-continent, with an extent of 82,000
square miles (212,000 km²), consisted of areas that
are today parts of Andhra Pradesh, Madya Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Karnataka. The capital city was situated at Hyderabad, which is today
the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The state was ruled by the "Nizams" a
shortened version of Nizam-ul-Mulk (Administrator of the Realm), the
title of the rulers of the state, belonging to the Asaf Jah dynasty,
founded by Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqui, a viceroy of the Deccan under the
Mughal emperors from 1713 to 1721, who declared his region independent
of the Mughal empire in 1724, after southern regions of the empire began
to crumble following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Seven Nizams ruled
Hyderabad for over two centuries (224 years), until the country was
forcefully
integrated into the Indian Union in 1948, after independence from the
British. They were the strongest allies of the British colonialists in
India, and became the wealthiest monarchy in the world. The Nizams of
Hyderabad were great patrons of art, literature, architecture, culture,
jewelry collection and rich food. The renowned "Briyani" a delicious
rice dish mixed with mutton or beef and other spicy ingredients, that
has tickled the palettes of people around the world for centuries, and
still continue to do so, is believed to have originated in the court
kitchens of the Nizams of Hyderabad.
The names, titles and
periods of rule of the seven Nizams of Hyderabad
S/N
Name
Title
Period of rule
1
Mir Qamar-ud-Din Khan Siddiqui
Asaf Jah I
1720-1748
2
Mir Nizam Ali Khan Siddiqui Bahadur
Asaf Jah II
1762-1803
3
Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikandar Jah Siddiqui
Asaf Jah III
1803-1829
4
Mir Farkhonda Ali Khan Siddiqui
Nasir-ud-Daulah
Asaf Jah IV
1829-1857
5
Mir Tahniat Ali Khan Siddiqui
Afzal-ud-Daulah
Asaf Jah V
1857-1869
6
Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqui
Asaf Jah VI
1869-1911
7
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqui
Asaf Jah VII
1911-1948
Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, the VIth Nizam of
Hyderabad
Did the Ceylon
Pearl Necklace enter the treasury of the kingdom of Hyderabad during the
reign of Mir Mahboob Ali Khan ?
The seven-stranded Ceylon pearl necklace could not
have entered the treasury of the Nizams of Hyderabad during the reign of
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqui, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, because he
ascended the throne in 1911, by which time the Sri Lankan pearl banks
were already abandoned by the British, and there were hardly any Sri
Lankan pearls coming to the Bombay pearl markets. Thus the pearl
necklace undoubtedly became part of the fabulous collection of jewelry
of the Nizams of Hyderabad during the reign of one of the six
predecessors of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Usman Ali Khan Siddiqui.
It is not known exactly during whose rule the pearl necklace was
purchased, but it could be any one of the Nizams from Asaf Jah II to
Asaf Jah VI, who ruled between 1762 and 1911. Pearls from Sri Lanka
reached the Bombay pearl markets in large quantities only during the
period when the pearl banks of Srl Lanka were managed by the British,
that extended from 1796 to 1906. This corresponds to the period of rule
from the 2nd to the 6th Nizams of Hyderabad. However, out of the five
Nizams of Hyderabad from the 2nd to the 6th, one of the most notorious
collectors was Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqui (1869-1911), who was
reputed to have purchased the famous Victoria-Jacob diamond diamond for
£150,000 in spite of objections by the British
Resident of Hyderabad. Thus it was quite possible that the
seven-stranded Ceylon Pearl Necklace entered the jewelry collection of
the Nizams, during the period of Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam
of Hyderabad.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqui, Asaf Jah VII
Did
the Ceylon Pearl Necklace enter the treasury of the Nizams of Hyderabad
during the reign of Mir Ali Khan Siddiqui Nasir-ud-Daulah?
The 4th Nizam of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah IV, Mir Ali Khan
Siddiqui Nasir-ud-Daulah, reigned between 1829 to 1857. Seed pearl
jewelry first became popular during the second quarter of the 19th
century, from 1825 to 1850. This was the early Victorian period, also
known as the Romantic period, that extended from the year Queen Victoria
ascended the throne in 1837, until the death of her beloved husband
Prince Albert in 1861. Seed pearl jewelry was the epitome of this
romantic sentiment, and reached the height of its popularity between
1840 and 1850 in England and the United States. The Ceylon Pearl
Necklace that appears to be made mainly of seed pearls was also perhaps
designed and produced during this period, in keeping with the
popularity of these pearls during the period. If it was so then the
Ceylon Pearl Necklace would most probably have entered the treasury of
the Nizams during the rule of Asaf Jah IV, Mir Ali Khan Siddiqui
Nasir-ud-Daulah, who ruled between 1829 and 1857.
When
was the Ceylon Pearl Necklace sold ?
The Ceylon Pearl
Necklace is now part of the private collection of Mrs. Meera Gandhi
The Ceylon Pearl Necklace now belongs to the private
collection of Mrs. Meera Gandhi, an Indian American, a socialite,
philanthropist, dedicated humanitarian worker and community leader, based in New York, and the wife of investment banker Vikram Gandhi. It is not known how Mrs. Gandhi came to acquire the
necklace, but in all probability it must have been purchased at an
auction conducted by one of the auction houses like Sotheby's or
Christie's. This necessarily means that the necklace had left the Nizam
of Hyderabad's collection, either before or at the time of abdication of the last Nizam of
Hyderabad, Mir Usman Ali Khan Siddiqui, in 1948. Soon after his forceful
abdication, Mir Usman Ali Khan, got his entire collection of jewelry
inventoried. He then divided the jewelry into two lots, and created two
separate trusts. The jewelry were then kept in the vaults of the Flora
Fountain Branch of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in
Mumbai. One of the conditions he laid down was that the jewelry should
not be sold during the lifetime of his eldest son Azam Jah.
The Government of
India obtains a stay order from the Supreme Court to stop the auction of
the Nizam's jewels
Subsequently, after the death of Azam Jah in 1970, the trustees decided
to sell part of the jewels by public auction, advertised
internationally, in order to meet the family's staggering tax
liabilities. But, the Government of India intervened and obtained a stay
order from the Supreme Court to suspend the auction, saying that the
jewelry collection was part of the National Heritage of India, and needs
to be preserved in India. The Government of India's intervention could
not be justified as it had allowed all other Maharajah's whose domains
were absorbed into the Indian Union after independence, to dispose of
their jewelry collections as and when they deemed it fit, without any
interference. The Maharajah's of Baroda, Patiala etc. disposed of their
valuable jewels at international jewelry auctions without any government
intervention.
After long drawn
out litigation the Government of India agrees to purchase the collection
for $71 million
Subsequently, in 1979, on the initiative of the Late Nizam's relatives, the trustees of the jewelry filed action in the
Supreme Court, seeking court permission to dispose of the jewels. This
led to a long drawn out litigation that lasted 16 years, and finally the
Government of India deccided to purchase the collection, from the family
of the Late Nizam for a sum of $71 million. However, the matter went up
to the Supreme Court again when the trustees demanded full payment at
once instead of six installments proposed by the Government. The Supreme
Court decided in favor of the trustees and directed that the Government
pay up in full. The Government was still dragging its feet on the
Supreme Court order, when the trustees requested permission from court
to invite foreign buyers to sell the collection, which was granted. The
Government requested more time to conclude the deal, and time was
granted up to January 16, 1995, after which the trustees were free to
dispose of the jewelry as they pleased. Subsequently, the government
sought the approval and the necessary funds for the conclusion of the
deal, from the Lower House (Lok Sabha) and Upper House (Rajya
Sabha) of Parliaments which was granted, and the deal was finally
concluded on January 12, 1995.
The Nizam of
Hyderabad's collection was put out on display at the National Museum in
New Delhi and Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad on at least two occasions
The collection that consists of 173 pieces, including
turban ornaments (sarpechs), necklaces, armbands, earrings, bracelets,
buttons, belts, cuff links, watch chains, anklets, rings etc. studded
with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, spinels, pearls and other
gemstones, and also the famous 184.75-carat Victoria-Jacob diamond, is
today estimated to be worth around $6 billion, and was put on display on
two occasions at the National Museum in New Delhi, and at the
Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, the state of origin
of the renowned collection. The priceless collection is now preserved in
the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India, in Mumbai, until the Government
of India decides on a secure venue to put them on permanent display.
The possible ways
in which the Ceylon Pearl Necklace would have left the collection
The tri-colored Ceylon Pearl Necklace, which is not
part of this collection, was obviously removed from the collection,
either before or at the time of the abdication of Mir Usman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of
Hyderabad. It was possible that the Nizam himself had given the necklace
as a gift to someone close to him, in his family, to mark or celebrate
an occasion. It was also quite possible that the Nizam had kept some of
the jewels with him, without including them in the two lots he created
that was subsequently placed in the HSBC bank vault at Bombay, so that
he could sell them when faced with any financial constraints in the
future. The tri-colored Ceylon Pearl Necklace, was perhaps one such
piece, that was sold by the Nizam himself or his agents, either in
Bombay or one of the capitals of the west, after his abdication to tide
over a difficult period. This was perfectly in order as the jewels had
belonged to his ancestors, and he was free to dispose of them as he
pleased.
Meera
Gandhi - A short biography
Her early life,
education, marriage and migration to the United States
Meera Gandhi who was born in Mumbai, India, was the
daughter of an Indian father, Mr. Agarwal and Irish mother Ellen Agarwal.
She had a early education at the Cathedral and John Connon School in
Mumbai, and later at Lester B. Pearson United World College at Canada,
where she studied for two years. She graduated from the Jesus and Mary
College, University of Delhi, in 1985. In 1986, she married her
childhood sweetheart Vikram Gandhi, and in the same year the couple
emigrated to Boston, Chicago, in the United States. At Boston the couple
registered for an MBA program at Boston University, and obtained their
MBA degree in 1989. They both joined the banking sector after their
graduation from Boston. Eventually Meera moved from banking to fashion,
and worked as a buyer for Macy's Chain of Department Stores, Lord
and Taylor, Calvin Klein, Armani and Oscar de la Renta. In 1993, she
started her own fashion business, Meera Collections Inc. Vikram Gandhi
continued his banking career, and became a successful investment banker,
and today he is the Global Head of Financial Institutions at Credit
Suisse.
Meera
Gandhi's promotion of humanitarian causes to reduce suffering and
deprivation around the globe
In 1997, Meera Gandhi and her husband moved to India
for three years, where Vikram continued his work with the Credit Suisse
in India. After returning to New York in the year 2000, they purchased
their celebrated town house on Park Avenue, New York, that was once the
residence of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Encouraged by her husband
Vikram, she then committed herself to actively promoting humanitarian
causes to reduce suffering and deprivation around the globe. Some of the
humanitarian causes she promoted included the successful raising of
funds for a number of notable charities in the United States and India,
She had played an active role in organizations such as "Safety Net,"
that caters for battered women; "Pratham," that works for the education
of street children in India; "Children's Hope," working for the
underprivileged children of New York. She was also a member of the
boards of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (FERI), and the
Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill (ERVK), and a Co-Chairman of the US
Committee for United World College (UWC) with HRH Pavlos, whose patron
is HRH Queen Noor of Jordan.
Her Park Avenue
residence at New York, becomes a center for hosting charitable events,
and is visited by world leaders and celebrities
Her residence at New York, became the center for
hosting many charitable events, and during her active pursuit of
humanitarian causes, her residence was visited by several world leaders
such as Hilary Clinton, Cherie Blair, Rahul Gandhi, Robert Kennedy Jr.,
etc. and famous literary, academic and entertainment personalities such
as, Arthur Schlesinger, Gabriel Byrne, Phylicia Rashad, Glen Close, Mira
Nair, the late Ismail Merchant etc.
Meera's
motto, "We are to the universe only as much as we can give back to it"
motivates her in pursuing humanitarian causes and social service
Presently, Meera Gandhi is the CEO of MTG
Productions, her own Television and Internet production company, which
she launched in 2008. Her productions also try to drive home the message
of serving the cause of humanity and reducing human suffering. This was
in keeping with her Motto, "We are to the universe only as much as we
can give back to it." A truly philosophical message, that had provided
the motivation for her humanitarian causes, to relieve suffering and
deprivation around the globe.
Meera and Vikram have been happily married for the
last 23 years, and have three children, Kiran, Kanika and Kabir aged 20.
16 and 12 years respectively.
The Ceylon Pearl
Necklace was exhibited around the world as part of the traveling
exhibition "Pearls : A Natural History"
According to the American Museum of Natural History,
New York City, the tri-colored Ceylon Pearl Necklace, belongs to the
private collection of Meera Gandhi, and was given on loan to the Museum,
to be included as an exhibit in the traveling exhibition "Pearls : A
Natural History" organized by the AMNH in collaboration with the Chicago
Field Museum, that was held for the first time at AMNH in October 2001,
and subsequently moved around museums in the United States, Canada,
Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and France, until March 10,
2008. The Ceylon Pearl Necklace was exhibited at all venues where the
exhibition was hosted, and became famous for its historical value as
well as its unique tri-color design.
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
