80th Commemoration S.S. Tilawa | Official Recording

Please enjoy this official recording of the 80th commemoration of the S.S. Tilawa. This event was held on Wednesday November 23rd 2022 at 18:00, at the Grand Hotel, Ballard Estate, Mumbai India.   

Over 100 attended the commemoration including His Majesty's British Deputy High Commissioner Mr. Alan Gemmell, Bollywood legend Mr. Johnny Lever, Commodore Koshy, and several other high-ranking Naval officers. Families connected to the Tilawa tragedy attended. Those attending the commemoration had the opportunity to meet the last known survivor, Mr. Arvindbhai Jani from South London U.K, who was just 3 years old when his mother, Vasantagauri, tied her little baby with her saree on her back, grabbed a rope and jumped into a lifeboat.  

The commemoration was hosted by Mr. Mukesh R. Solanki (aka Kash Kumar), and Mr. Emile Solanki. They are descendants of the late Mr. Nichhabhai Chibabhai Solanki who drowned during the Tilawa attack. With the support of the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society, the event was a huge success.  “We in the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society are assisting the families (of the deceased and the survivors) who live in the UKand Canada to organise the commemoration on November 23, 2022,” vice admiral (retd) I C Rao told the Sunday Mumbai Mirror.

The commemoration program format was: 

- Chairman comments: Kash Kumar

- Vice President of the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society, Mrs. Anita Yewale

- Keynote address by Emile Solanki

- His Majesty’s British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Alan Gemmell

- Presentation gift to Mr. Arvindbhai Jani

- Presentation gift to the Grand Hotel

- Concluding comments: Kash Kumar 

The Grand Hotel was a fitting location for this event. S.S. Tilawa had departed from Ballard Pier, Bombay, and all survivors were brought back to this pier, thanks to the rescue mission of HMS Birmingham and S.S. Carthage. The Grand Hotel is a short walk away from this area. The hotel owners have done a marvellous job preserving the hotel to its original condition, and the setting will add a historical ambience. 

“We are grateful to the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society (MMMS) for their kind support in assisting us."