Mr. Dhiren Shah

Happy Weekend Chembur family. May the sun show up and the rain stay out of your weekend plans.☀️🏖️

Mr. Dhiren Shah, a man who holds the autographs of nearly every national and some international celebrity you can name, earned a law degree at 61, has appeared for an astonishing number of entrance exams and still insists on writing personal, handwritten letters.

Mr. Dhiren Shah's story in his own words:

“My grandparents moved to Chembur in 1927. So, obviously, I am a Chemburkar by birth. I stay right opposite Chembur station.

I completed my schooling from General Education Academy in 1976, junior college from Swami Vivekananda Education Society in 1978, graduated from Podar College in 1981, did my masters in Archaeology and Numismatic Studies from Mumbai University (Kalina) in 2013, and completed my LLB from MGM College in 2020 at the age of 61. And no, it was not a correspondence course. It was a full-time course and attendance was mandatory. I never missed or bunked any lectures and was never ever late to any of them, even though I travelled daily from Chembur to Navi Mumbai. In fact, I was the one who opened the classroom door every morning and always sat on the first bench with my deskmate, who was the youngest of the lot, a 22-year-old.

In my opinion, padhai ki koi umar nahi hoti. I always wanted to pursue LLB. In fact, in the 1990s, I had secured admission in Dr. Ambedkar Law College but couldn’t continue after the first year due to some health conditions. So, in 2017, I decided to fulfil this dream and took admission in MGM Law College, successfully completing my graduation in the Covid year, 2020.

I have appeared for almost every entrance exam, CET, UPSC, MPSC, just for the sake of knowledge and learning, that too without the help of any extra tuition or classes. To become a sarkari babu was obviously never the plan, kyunki hum baniye log hain aur ghuma fira ke humko banyagiri hi karni hai. But that never stopped me from seeking knowledge.

The mantra I live by is: “Always follow your passion, the rest will follow.”

After completing my education, I did not stick to any one specific business or profession. Log bolte hain na, sab bandnar kya vyapari, bas vaisa he. I have invested in the markets, run an advertising agency, had a photo studio, and more. I was never fearful of making a loss, nor did I take pressure about making a profit. Whatever felt right at the moment, I did it with full commitment and without an ounce of hesitation.

I’m also a philographer — collecting celebrity autographs is my passion. Like any passion, it requires a lot of patience and dedication. I try to meet celebrities at every event I attend, just to get their autograph. In fact, that’s often my only reason for attending.

Once, at an event, I had to wait for nearly four hours outside Late Lata Mangeshkar’s green room to get her autograph. I stood there patiently and didn’t even go to the washroom the whole time because I didn’t want to risk missing the opportunity to meet her.

Ultimately, my patience paid off. I met her, clicked pictures, and even befriended her manager. I now have seven or eight autographs of hers, all thanks to patience and dedication.

I live for my passion, and that’s what drives me. Vo bolte hain na, Beg, Borrow, or Steal, jo bhi karna pade, karo. That’s the only reason I prefer going to events alone because being alone gives you the freedom to do things your own way, at your own pace.

For example, if my wife had joined me at Lata Mangeshkar’s event that day, I wouldn’t have been able to wait so long. I can never imagine troubling my wife for my own sake. Her presence would’ve made me question whether I was doing the right thing or not. It’s better to be atmanirbhar.

From a very young age, I developed the habit of doing things independently. My father was always busy with his business and wasn’t qualified enough to help me with studies.

In my late teenage years, I wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister, Late Morarji Desai, while he lived in Marine Drive, requesting his autograph. A few days later, he called me and agreed to give it, but on one condition that I had to take an oath that I would wear only Khadi for the rest of my life after receiving it. I declined, as I was really young and knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my word. This condition wasn’t unique; he made it with everyone who asked for his autograph.

A month later, the Mid-Day newspaper did an article on me. A chemist from Mulund, who also happened to be a Kutchi, read it and called me. He said he had one autograph of Morarji Desai and was ready to give it to me. I went to meet him, and to my surprise, this 75-year-old man was still wearing Khadi.

Yes, pursuing this hobby requires a lot of patience and dedication. You won’t believe it, I never throw away the wedding invitation cards we receive. I remove the inner pages with the wedding details, leaving the beautifully designed covers with empty space in the middle. I paste a celebrity’s picture there, making it look like a photo frame. I then send these to celebrities for their autograph with a self-addressed envelope, and within a few days, they return it signed.

Mostly, I send handwritten letters to celebrities along with their photographs or paintings and a self-addressed envelope. Around 75 percent of the time, I’m fortunate enough to receive their autographs. Today, I have almost 2,000 autographs from national and international celebrities combined.

I have many autographs of Mr. Bachchan. I send him photographs or hand-painted portraits with handwritten letters, and he returns them with his autograph most of the time.

I’ll narrate one such story. A writer had once written a book on Mr. Bachchan’s near-fatal injury on the sets of Coolie, based on newspaper reports. From the day he got injured on July 26, 1982, till the day he returned home on September 24, 1982, two months of reports became the book’s bibliography. Fortunately, I found that book after a lot of searching. I bought it and sent it to Mr. Bachchan for an autograph. I marked a few specific pages and requested him to sign those. He generously returned the book with autographs on all requested pages, along with a letter asking me to send him an extra copy if I had one.

I replied saying I was willing to give away my own copy if I could present it to him personally. Mera dono kaam ho jave na, milna bhi ho jave aur book bhi de doon. But unfortunately, my plan didn’t work out, as doctors had advised him to avoid public interactions due to health concerns. I sent the book anyway, as his reason was valid, and because we must respect people’s decisions and boundaries.

A couple of months back, our current Law Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal, was invited to a Bar Council event at Yogi Sabhagraha as the chief guest. He spoke quite well about his book ‘Ek Safar Hamsafar Ke Saath,’ themed around his family, mainly his wife. I immediately searched for the book online from the auditorium itself and ordered it from Amazon.

The book arrived after two days, and I sent it right away to him with a return envelope and a handwritten letter mentioning the event. A month later, I received his call. We spoke for nearly 15 minutes. He enquired about me and my family and said he was amazed by my handwritten letter because handwritten notes carry pure emotions, you can’t backspace or erase them, so you choose your words thoughtfully. He returned my letter along with three of his published books, autographed by him and his wife, and a handwritten note.

In my opinion, everyone should develop a hobby or passion because it gives you a unique satisfaction and fulfills your soul.

If I ask anyone from today’s email and WhatsApp generation how many stamps are required to post a letter, or where the local post office or nearest post box is, almost no one would know. For the last 45 years, I’ve been a regular visitor to the post office, either to send or collect letters. Passion and hobbies give life purpose.

When Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, I began researching how to get her autograph. During that time, I came across a newspaper article that mentioned her school in Birmingham where she completed her secondary education. I arranged all the necessary UK stamps and sent a letter to Edgbaston High School, Birmingham. Within 15 days, I received it back with her autograph. I am the only person in India to have it.

Currently, I am 66 years old. Sarkar ke hisaab se to main retire ho gaya hoon, par jab tak haath pair chalte hain, tab tak mujhe retire nahi hona hai.

This year, I’ve developed an obsession with participating in marathons. So far, I’ve taken part in 12 five-kilometre marathons. Though I don’t really run, the feeling of participating and crossing the finish line excites me.

Technically, I may be a bit old, but I never let my enthusiasm or spark age. I remain active in our Jain Mandir’s day-to-day work, especially tasks that involve visits to the BMC office, like licensing.

I’m also a philatelist — a collector of postage stamps. I’ve been collecting special stamps since 1985. Whenever a new stamp is launched, I immediately send an eMO (Electronic Money Order) to get it. The latest one was of astronaut Sudhanshu Shukla. I got the stamp, sent it to him for an autograph, and received it back within a few days.

One piece of advice I’d like everyone to follow, which I’ve learned through my passion, is this: be good to people and have patience for everything.”

Thank you for for your time.

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