The S. G. Jhaveri Trading Hall at Bharat Diamond Bourse was inaugurated at the BDB premises in Bandra Kurla Complex on January 19 by Union Minister of Agriculture Sharad Pawar in the presence of leading diamantaires from the city and members of the Jhaveri family.

The industry also honoured the pioneering diamantaire and key initiator of Bourse project by unveiling his bust near the entrance to the Hall.

Welcoming the gathering, Anoop Mehta, President BDB described SG as one of the most important founding members of the BDB and a doyen of the trade whose contribution to this project cannot be easily measured.  He added that the committee had decided to name the Trading Hall after him as a mark of respect and appreciation.

Later Chief Guest Sharad Pawar recalled his meetings with SG who, he said, was one of the early pioneers of the modern Indian diamond industry. SG was perhaps the first to moot the idea of establishing a diamond bourse in India in the 1970s, was later instrumental in the formation of the Bharat Diamond Bourse in 1984 and played a key role in liaising with the then Pawar-led government for the allocation of a 20-acre plot in BKC for the project.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Arunbhai R Mehta and SG’s sons Kamlesh and Gautam Jhaveri.