Kantilal Jivan
Encyclopedia
Kantilal Jivan Shah , known simply as Kanti, is said to be the most written about Seychellois
. Described as a Renaissance Man
, he has been a guru
, historian
, natural history expert, palmist
, vegetarian
cook, photographer, artist and sculptor, agronomist and intellectual.
He has been featured in over a hundred newspaper and magazine articles and radio and television programs from more than 30 countries, and has been visited by some of the world's best known personalities ranging from Queen Elizabeth II
and Mother Teresa
to Ian Fleming
, the creator of James Bond
. The latter featured Jivan as a character in his last Bond novel. He also acted in a movie with the actor Omar Sharif
.
Jivan runs an export and import business established by his father in 1895. He is better known as a pioneer of environmentalism and ecotourism and as a leading historian and folklorist. He is a committee member of various organisations such as the Alliance Francaise, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Seychelles Environment Trust Fund. Now 84, he attributes his good health to being a lifelong vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaler.
He was included in the UN Environmental Program Global 500 Roll of Honour was also honoured by the Royal Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.
He currently has a son and a grandson.
Mr Kantilal Jivan Shah, age 87 years, died on the 22.10.2010 in Victoria Hospital, Mahe, Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
. Described as a Renaissance Man
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
, he has been a guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, natural history expert, palmist
Chiromancy
Palmistry or chiromancy , is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations...
, vegetarian
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
cook, photographer, artist and sculptor, agronomist and intellectual.
He has been featured in over a hundred newspaper and magazine articles and radio and television programs from more than 30 countries, and has been visited by some of the world's best known personalities ranging from Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
to Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, the creator of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
. The latter featured Jivan as a character in his last Bond novel. He also acted in a movie with the actor Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
.
Jivan runs an export and import business established by his father in 1895. He is better known as a pioneer of environmentalism and ecotourism and as a leading historian and folklorist. He is a committee member of various organisations such as the Alliance Francaise, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Seychelles Environment Trust Fund. Now 84, he attributes his good health to being a lifelong vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaler.
He was included in the UN Environmental Program Global 500 Roll of Honour was also honoured by the Royal Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.
He currently has a son and a grandson.
Mr Kantilal Jivan Shah, age 87 years, died on the 22.10.2010 in Victoria Hospital, Mahe, Seychelles
External links
- Entry in the United Nations Environmental Programme "Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement".
- Profiled in the Daily Telegraph