Navroji R Mistri
Inaugural Excellence Award For Philanthropy
Navroji R. Mistri (b. 3 June 1885, Bombay, India – d. 29 October 1953, Singapore).
He was no ordinary individual. He was philanthropy writ large that he came to be dubbed as the ‘godfather of the poor’ and the ‘bachelor godfather’ for he donated large sums of his money toward the improvement of medical services in Singapore. Even to his day, the name of Mistri is immortalized in the Mistri Wing of the Singapore General Hospital which also housed the pediatric wards.
Mistri Road in Tanjong Pagar was named after him.
Mistri who trained as an engineer worked with the Royal Indian Marine Dockyards in Mumbai. He came to Singapore in 1909 and was involved in the building of the graving dock at Keppel Harbour. He also briefly worked for Riley Hargreaves & Co before heading to team up with fellow Parsi, Framroz in his aerated water business in 1913.
In 1925, Mistri started his own business but that was not before falling out with his former friend, Framroz who instituted legal proceedings against him. But Mistri won the legal battle and in the years that followed his business prospered and his soda water business became a household name in Malaya and beyond the region of Singapore. With his wealth, Mistri bought the Caldecott Hill Estate for over $900,000 after the Japanese Occupation. Struck by mind- numbing pain and the unconscionable sight of sick children and their mothers lying on the floors of hospital wards, Mistri in June of 1952 made the single largest donation of $950,000. He was quoted as saying, ‘I donated my recent gift of $950,000 because I thought it was my duty to do something for Singapore’s children.” Before this donation he had donated a whopping $50,000 to the University of Malaya for the purchase of medical equipment for research and studies. With the funds from Mistri the government built a $1,500,000 block for sick children in the General Hospital in 1955.
Mistri died in 1953 at the age of 68 and the foundation stone was laid by his brother H R Mistri. And beneath the foundation stone was a container holding articles which represented the late Mistri’s interests.
In 1956, his brother presented a bust of N R Mistri to the Singapore General Hospital which today, stands at the National Heart Centre. He bequeathed a millions dollars and half, of his estate to charities in Malaya and Bombay all in the altruistic intention of helping the poor and downtrodden.
Mistri also showed his gallantry during the war years for services and help he rendered to British prisoners-of-war in Malaya during the Japanese Occupation. For that he received a King’s commendation for brave conduct.