Navroji Mistri - Revision history

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	'''Navroji Rastomji Mistri''' [[Order of the British Empire\|OBE]] (3 June 1885 – 29 October 1953) was an ~~[[Parsis\|Parsi]] [[~~Indian ~~people\|Indian]]~~ entrepreneur and philanthropist. ~~Known as the “godfather of the poor” or the “bachelor godfather” of Singapore’s poor children, Mistri donated a large part of~~ his ~~wealth towards the improvement of medical services in Singapore.<ref name="infopedia" /> He ran a successful~~ [[soft drink\|soda drinks]] business in Singapore. Both Mistri Road, near [[Shenton Way]], and Mistri Wing at the [[Singapore General Hospital]] were named in his honour.<ref name="infopedia">{{cite web \|first= Joshua \|last= Chia Yeong Jia \|url= http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1203_2008-12-31.html \|title=Navroji R. Mistri on Infopedia \|work = National Library Board, Singapore \| date = 31 December 2008 \|accessdate= 8 October 2015}}</ref>		'''Navroji Rastomji Mistri''' [[Order of the British Empire\|OBE]] (3 June 1885 – 29 October 1953) was an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is best known for his [[soft drink\|soda drinks]] business in Singapore. Both Mistri Road, near [[Shenton Way]], and Mistri Wing at the [[Singapore General Hospital]] were named in his honour.<ref name="infopedia">{{cite web \|first= Joshua \|last= Chia Yeong Jia \|url= http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1203_2008-12-31.html \|title=Navroji R. Mistri on Infopedia \|work = National Library Board, Singapore \| date = 31 December 2008 \|accessdate= 8 October 2015}}</ref>

	==Early life==		==Early life==
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	==Career==		==Career==
	While working in Singapore, Navroji met [[Phirozshaw Framroz]], a well-known soft drinks producer through the small [[Parsis]] community in Singapore.<ref name="st20151001" /> He started helping out at Framroz's soft-drinks factory by fixing machinery.<ref name="st20151001" /> Upon completion of the graving dock in 1913, Framroz employed Navroji as a manager in his factory.<ref name="~~st20151001~~" /><ref name="~~infopedia~~" /> In 1925, Navroji left the company to set up his own soft drinks factory.<ref name="infopedia" /> He named his company "Phoenix Aerated Water" as "the phoenix is a big bird rising from the dead and he liked the sound of that".<ref name="st20151001" /> His new business venture negatively affected his relations with Framroz, as Navroji had previously signed an agreement to not start a similar business when he left Framroz's company.<ref name="infopedia" /> The dispute was brought before the courts, who eventually ruled in Navroji's favour.<ref name="infopedia" /> The pair's relations were not restored until shortly before Navroji's death.<ref name="infopedia" />		While working in Singapore, Navroji met [[Phirozshaw Framroz]], a well-known soft drinks producer through the small [[Parsis]] community in Singapore.<ref name="st20151001" /> He started helping out at Framroz's soft-drinks factory by fixing machinery.<ref name="st20151001" /> Upon completion of the graving dock in 1913, Framroz employed Navroji as a manager in his factory.<ref name="infopedia" /><ref name="st20151001" /> In 1925, Navroji left the company to set up his own soft drinks factory.<ref name="infopedia" /> He named his company "Phoenix Aerated Water" as "the phoenix is a big bird rising from the dead and he liked the sound of that".<ref name="st20151001" /> His new business venture negatively affected his relations with Framroz, as Navroji had previously signed an agreement to not start a similar business when he left Framroz's company.<ref name="infopedia" /> The dispute was brought before the courts, who eventually ruled in Navroji's favour.<ref name="infopedia" /> The pair's relations were not restored until shortly before Navroji's death.<ref name="infopedia" />

	Navroji's soft drinks business grew quickly.<ref name="infopedia" /> He was able to convince the British armed forces to permit him to sell his drinks in both Malaya and India.<ref name="infopedia" /><ref name="st20151001" /> As a result, his drinks were sold across Malaya and the South-east Asian region.<ref name="st20151001" /> In 1931,<ref name="infopedia" /> he also opened G. H. Café, which offered the popular curry [[tiffin]] meals together with Phoenix Aerated Water's drinks.<ref name="st20151001" />		Navroji's soft drinks business grew quickly.<ref name="infopedia" /> He was able to convince the British armed forces to permit him to sell his drinks in both Malaya and India.<ref name="infopedia" /><ref name="st20151001" /> As a result, his drinks were sold across Malaya and the South-east Asian region.<ref name="st20151001" /> In 1931,<ref name="infopedia" /> he also opened G. H. Café, which offered the popular curry [[tiffin]] meals together with Phoenix Aerated Water's drinks.<ref name="st20151001" />

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← Older revision		Revision as of 07:53, 3 October 2021
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	'''Navroji Rastomji Mistri''' [[Order of the British Empire\|OBE]] (3 June 1885 – 29 October 1953) was an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He ~~is best known for his~~ [[soft drink\|soda drinks]] business in Singapore. Both Mistri Road, near [[Shenton Way]], and Mistri Wing at the [[Singapore General Hospital]] were named in his honour.<ref name="infopedia">{{cite web \|first= Joshua \|last= Chia Yeong Jia \|url= http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1203_2008-12-31.html \|title=Navroji R. Mistri on Infopedia \|work = National Library Board, Singapore \| date = 31 December 2008 \|accessdate= 8 October 2015}}</ref>		'''Navroji Rastomji Mistri''' [[Order of the British Empire\|OBE]] (3 June 1885 – 29 October 1953) was an [[Parsis\|Parsi]] [[Indian people\|Indian]] entrepreneur and philanthropist. Known as the “godfather of the poor” or the “bachelor godfather” of Singapore’s poor children, Mistri donated a large part of his wealth towards the improvement of medical services in Singapore.<ref name="infopedia" /> He ran a successful [[soft drink\|soda drinks]] business in Singapore. Both Mistri Road, near [[Shenton Way]], and Mistri Wing at the [[Singapore General Hospital]] were named in his honour.<ref name="infopedia">{{cite web \|first= Joshua \|last= Chia Yeong Jia \|url= http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1203_2008-12-31.html \|title=Navroji R. Mistri on Infopedia \|work = National Library Board, Singapore \| date = 31 December 2008 \|accessdate= 8 October 2015}}</ref>

	==Early life==		==Early life==

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{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Navroji Mistri
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_name = Navroji Rastomji Mistri
|birth_date = 3 June 1885
|birth_place = [[Bombay]], India
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1953|10|29|1885|3|6}}
|death_place = Singapore
|restingplace = [[Tampines]], Singapore<ref name="infopedia" />
|nationality = Indian
|occupation = Entrepreneur
}}

'''Navroji Rastomji Mistri''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (3 June 1885 – 29 October 1953) was an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is best known for his [[soft drink|soda drinks]] business in Singapore. Both Mistri Road, near [[Shenton Way]], and Mistri Wing at the [[Singapore General Hospital]] were named in his honour.<ref name="infopedia">{{cite web |first= Joshua |last= Chia Yeong Jia |url= http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1203_2008-12-31.html |title=Navroji R. Mistri on Infopedia |work = National Library Board, Singapore | date = 31 December 2008 |accessdate= 8 October 2015}}</ref>

==Early life==
Navroji was born into a [[Parsi]] family on 3 June 1885 in [[Mumbai]], India.<ref name="infopedia" /> An engineer by training, Navroji started work at the [[Bombay Dockyard|Royal Indian Marine Dockyards]].<ref name="infopedia" /> While in India, the young Navroji reportedly met [[Jamsetji Tata]], the founder of the [[Tata group]], who told Navroji that "When you grow up and if you work hard, you will be a success.".<ref name="st20151001" /> In 1909, Navroji moved to Singapore after being employed to work on the building [[Keppel Harbour]]'s [[graving dock]].<ref name="infopedia" /> He had only 10 [[rupee]]s when he arrived in Singapore.<ref name="st20151001">{{cite web |first= Cheong |last= Suk-Wai |url= http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-mistri-gift-to-hospital-and-more|title=A Mistri gift to hospital and more |work = [[The Straits Times]] | date = 1 October 2015 |accessdate= 11 October 2015}}</ref>

==Career==
While working in Singapore, Navroji met [[Phirozshaw Framroz]], a well-known soft drinks producer through the small [[Parsis]] community in Singapore.<ref name="st20151001" /> He started helping out at Framroz's soft-drinks factory by fixing machinery.<ref name="st20151001" /> Upon completion of the graving dock in 1913, Framroz employed Navroji as a manager in his factory.<ref name="st20151001" /><ref name="infopedia" /> In 1925, Navroji left the company to set up his own soft drinks factory.<ref name="infopedia" /> He named his company "Phoenix Aerated Water" as "the phoenix is a big bird rising from the dead and he liked the sound of that".<ref name="st20151001" /> His new business venture negatively affected his relations with Framroz, as Navroji had previously signed an agreement to not start a similar business when he left Framroz's company.<ref name="infopedia" /> The dispute was brought before the courts, who eventually ruled in Navroji's favour.<ref name="infopedia" /> The pair's relations were not restored until shortly before Navroji's death.<ref name="infopedia" />

Navroji's soft drinks business grew quickly.<ref name="infopedia" /> He was able to convince the British armed forces to permit him to sell his drinks in both Malaya and India.<ref name="infopedia" /><ref name="st20151001" /> As a result, his drinks were sold across Malaya and the South-east Asian region.<ref name="st20151001" /> In 1931,<ref name="infopedia" /> he also opened G. H. Café, which offered the popular curry [[tiffin]] meals together with Phoenix Aerated Water's drinks.<ref name="st20151001" />

==Philanthropy==
While being treated at the [[Singapore General Hospital]], Navroji asked his doctor and close friend Professor Gordon Ransome about why sick children had to sleep along the corridors of the hospital.<ref name="st20151001" /> In reply, Professor Ransome jokingly asked that since he was rich, why don't he contribute money to build a [[paediatric]] ward?<ref name="st20151001" /> Having heard this, he presented a [[Singapore dollar|SGD$]]950,000 check to the hospital for the construction of a third-class hospital ward for non-paying patients, saying that

''"I cannot bear to think of sick children, and their mothers lying on the floors of hospital wards...because of the shortage of space and funds"''.<ref name="infopedia" />

Using these funds, the government built a $1,500,000 block that housed two 150-bed paediatric wards that were equipped with the latest medical equipment of the day.<ref name="infopedia" /> However, Navroji died before the hospital wing was completed in 1955.<ref name="st20151001" /> Thus, the wing, named "Mistri Wing", was opened by his brother Hormusji Mistri.<ref name="infopedia" />

Prior to this donation, Navroji had already donated SGD$50,000 to the [[University of Malaya]] to provide funds for the purchasing of equipment used in medical research and studies.<ref name="infopedia" />

In his will, Navroji bequeathed half of his estate, worth SGD$1 million, to set up the Mistri Singapore Trust and the Mistri Bombay Trust.<ref name="infopedia" /> The beneficiaries of the Mistri Singapore Trust includes poor children, schoolchildren who faced financial difficulties and [[tuberculosis]] sufferers.<ref name="infopedia" /> The remainder of his estate was left to his family members, friends and former employees.<ref name="infopedia" />

==Recognition==
For his role in sheltering homeless people during the [[Japanese Occupation of Singapore]], the British King awarded Navroji the [[Order of the British Empire]] in 1946.<ref name="st20151001" /> The award was given under the name "Noel R. Mistri".<ref name="infopedia" /> In 1955, the British colonial government named a road "Mistri Road" in his honour.<ref name="infopedia" /> This road, located near [[Shenton Way]],<ref name="st20151001" /> is one of several roads in the area that were named after [[Parsis]].<ref name="Toponymics" /> This was because the area used to be a burial ground for the Parsis in Singapore.<ref name="Toponymics">*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), ''Toponymics – A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern Universities Press. p. 258. {{ISBN|981-210-205-1}}</ref>

Mistri Wing, the paediatric ward which was built with Navroji's donations, was also named in his honour.<ref name="heritageplaces" /> The hospital wing still exists today at the [[Singapore General Hospital]], though it now houses the [[National Heart Centre Singapore]].<ref name="heritageplaces">{{cite book |last=Meng Hao |first= Wan |date= 15 April 2011 |title= Heritage Places of Singapore |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3taIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA166 |location= Singapore |publisher= [[Marshall Cavendish|Marshall Cavendish International Asia]]|page=166 |isbn=978-98-1431-295-0}}</ref> It will soon be converted into a centre for [[diabetic]] care.<ref name="st20151001" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mistri, Navroji}}
[[Category:1885 births]]
[[Category:1953 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Singaporean businesspeople]]
[[Category:Parsi people from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Singapore]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Parsi descent]]