Chhotubhai Nazarali Khanderia

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Saroj Chhotu Khanderia 1963

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Alijah Chhotubhai Khanderia was born in Porbandar on 29 July 1961. He studied till 1976 in Victoria Jubilee Madrasa. In 1977, he passed the New SSC exam and completed his Diploma in Engineering from Porbandar Polytechnic College between 1977-1980. He joined the government service in Junagadh as a Supervisor in 1981. He worked in Junagadh from 1981-1990, in Amreli from 1991-1994, in Babra from 1994-2000, in Rajkot from 2001-2007, in Bhavnagar from 2007-2012, in Mundra Kutch from 2012-2018 and finally in Jamkhambhaliya from 2018-2019 and retired there as Deputy Executive Engineer on 31-7-2019. After retirement, he is currently residing in Secunderabad, Hyderabad from 2019 to 2025. He started as a religious teacher in 1977 at Porbandar REC. In 1978, he secured ninth rank at India Level in the Std. 8 examination conducted by HRC. In 1984, he completed the LTP Learning Teachers Program in a 45-day residential camp held at Fidai Academy in Andheri, in which the first batch of scholars from The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London arrived in India. Amin Virani, Mumtaz Virani, Pyarali Keshwani, Dilshad Keshwani etc. took lectures in this camp. He served as HRC lecturer in Junagadh till 1990. As HRC faculty, He took classes in Junagadh, Amreli, Babra and Bhavnagar REC from 1983-2012. He took SL classes from 2012-2014 until the new STEP curriculum was introduced in Kutch-Mundra.

Served as Member Local Board Itreb for Junagadh in 1983-1985, Member Itreb for Southern Saurashtra in 1985-1988.

Served as Member Youth and Sports Board for Southern Saurashtra in 1987-1988.

Served as Member in Weekly HRC Class of 6 hours every Sunday in Bilkha village. Served from 1982-1985.

Served as Camp Principal and HRC Faculty in HRC Camps held in Maliya Hatina, Chitravad and Amreli from 1984-1992.

Served as Hon Secretary Council for Junagadh in 1984-1987.

Served as Chairman, Social Welfare Board for Southern Saurashtra from 1987-1993. In the year 1989,Government of Gujarat made the Construction of Heliped for the visit at Bhalchhel of Mawlana Shah Karim Al Husaini (S.A),which was prepared by Keshod Marg and Building Engineer Odedara. He took over the work as its coordinator on behalf of the Regional Council.

Served in the Pendulum Committee of the Regional Committee for the Padhramani of Didar in Maliya Hatina in 1989 and 1992. A special pendulum of the Regional Social Welfare Board for Southern Saurashtra was made in which a deep water bore was drilled in the village for the Ismaili landholders of Shergarh village under the program of the Social Welfare Board, whose cooperative society was formed and water was released on the concept of collective farming, so that the Ismaili Jamaat of that area got the benefit of irrigation in agriculture. As per the instructions of the National Board, we completed the work of making a replica of this project with Mr. Amir Kotadia and Mr. Madad Kotadia social workers. In the replica, a perfect replica of the land, well pipe line, etc., showing the survey number of the Ismaili land of Shergarh village was prepared.Hazarat Imam Shah Karim Al-Husseini (S.A) came to this pavilion and inquired about the project.

During the Padhramani of 1989, he got the opportunity to welcome Mawala Hazar Imam at Keshod Airport.

In 2003-2004, he served as Mukhi Saheb in the Majalis of Raiya Road Rajkot Jamat. In 2004-2005, he was the Hon.Secretary of the Itreb for Northern Saurashtra, in 2005-2009, he was the Chairman of the Itreb for Northern Saurashtra, in 2009-2012, when Shamsuddin Budhwani was appointed to the Itreb for Northern Saurashtra, he did not take charge and took over the mid-term work. For the blessed visit of Mawlana Shah Karim Al Husaiyni (S.A) in 2008, he served in the screening committee for the preparation of the recitation of Ginan, recitation of the verses of the Holy Quran and reading of the decrees in Sidhpur by getting the master trainer to practice and select them. After the visit of the Imam, the leaders were given the honor of meeting in the green room, in which both of us, along with my wife Saroj Khanderia, got the opportunity. In 2009-2012, he served as the Mukhi Saheb of the Higher Majlis in Bodhani Sheri Jamatkhana, Rajkot. From 2015-2018, he served as the Mukhi Saheb of the Higher Majlis of Rajkot Raiya Road. He published a book in 2025 about Recreation Club Institute: History and serviceholders . In this book he covered the Short history of the 230 Alwaezez in one platform served across globally.

In the community, he has held numerous voluntary positions since 1977, which have left a lasting impact: he has served as a secondary level religious instructor, a local board member in ITREB, a regional member in the Youth and Sports Board, a secretary in the Ismaili Council, a regional chair in the Southern Saurashtra Social Welfare Board and ITREB, and as Mukhi of Majlises (special gatherings).

Chhotubhai has written a comepedium into the Recreation Club, the forerunner of the Ismailia Association and today’s Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board, a very useful contribution to the study of the Khoja Ismaili jamaat management.

He currently resides in Secunderabad, India, as a retired serviceman.

He can be reached at cnkhanderia@gmail.com.