Daya and his wife Kusumbhen received a gold coin and a special framed picture from officials of the Society, which hands out the award on an annual basis.
Born in the village of Shikar in India, Daya started his schooling in South Africa. He then went on to qualify as a teacher and spent a few years at Waterval High School here before starting a business in 1967.
Besides working as part-time teacher, Daya also created set works for Gujarati learners, which proved to be a great help locally as India had imposed a ban on the export of textbooks due to its opposition to apartheid.
“I am proud to see that the seeds which we planted in those early years in Fordsburg has grown into the massive undertaking that we see today in Lenasia with the Shree Bharat Sharda Mandir School that has produced so many matriculants of top quality every year,” Daya said.
