Ivan Arthur Desai: Mechanic’s Fire to Servant’s Faith

(15th May 1936 - 3rd April 2007)

Bombay

Ivan Desai had a great interest in cars and moved to Bombay around 1958 to learn the trade of a car mechanic at the National Garage in Bombay Central. He knew many hardships in those early days. The following year his father purchased a garage for him in Bandra West and later he moved his garage to Dadar where he set up business and had four mechanics working for him. He was known as a strong man lifting car engines and the doctor told him when he was 70 that he had the heart of a 21-year-old. All he would eat to keep him going was his breakfast with many spoons of sugar in his tea!

The home at Dr. Desai Bungalow, Bombay was purchased around 1947 by his father for two of his daughters and Ivan Desai came to live there. In 1962 his parents also came to stay there also following his father’s ill health.

In those days, there were just a few buildings and nearby was a jungle with the river Dahisar running through it to the sea and a British army camp nearby. He told me how he used to swim in that river, but no one would dare swim in it now!

Family

Ivan Desai married Grace Vyas in 1967 and they had four children, Ellen, Daniel, Salome and Timothy. Though brought up in a Christian family he did not trust in the Lord Jesus till later in life. It was through the instrumentality of late brother P. O. George of Fort assembly that he first came under conviction. Sometime in the early 1960s he was passing nearby the Fort assembly when P. O. George invited him to the gospel meeting to listen to a British missionary who was speaking from Isaiah 53 verse 5. God’s Word spoke to him and he remained behind under conviction wanting to be saved. The preacher prayed with him and he continued to attend the meetings for a while.

One Sunday, as he was on the way to the assembly, he was tempted by friends to go to the cinema with them who told him that they had purchased a ticket for him. Thus, he was snared by the Devil to turn away from the Lord for many years.

The Fire

He was living a worldly life until 1st March 1972 when an accident happened at the garage that changed his life forever. A customer’s cigarette ignited a tray of petrol on the ground trapping some mechanics in the corner. Ivan sought to take the burning tray away, but it tipped onto him dousing him with petrol and he was set on fire. He told me that as he was burning, he thought he was going to die and, in the sky, he saw sparkling letters, “For your disobedience!”

Salvation

Both his legs and part of his hands were badly burned, and he was admitted to Shushrusha Hospital, Shivaji Park. For two months, two sisters daily visited him bringing him food and tenderly cared for him. He always had a special place in his heart for sisters Gnanamuthu and Florie Aunty.

By God’s grace, he survived and while in hospital he turned to the Lord. He believed it was at this time he was truly saved. After he recovered from his injuries, he was baptised at the Bethel Assembly Santa Cruz in 1973 along with his wife who was saved in 1971 through listening to the testimony of a believer named Jeevaya while attending a camp in Pune.

His Love for The Lord

He never looked back at the world and his life was filled with a love for God’s Word, God’s people, those who are lost. He had no love for money whatsoever or anything of this world. He was happy with what he had and often supported many of the Lord’s servants in many practical ways. His home was a place of much hospitality, and they would entertain many full time workers and believers who visited Bombay including this writer. He also travelled all over India attending conferences and was well known to believers throughout the country.

During his days in Bethel, his nephew Jonathan Baker relates how he spent a lot of time with the young men in Bethel and he was the one who did all the maintenance work at the hall. He would arrive very early before anyone else and set up the table and emblems, then sit and meditate upon the Lord. He would pick up and drop off full time workers to and from the airport or train station and he had a very big heart and always bought “Indian sweets” for one and all. He never said “NO” to any request for help. He also took the lead in translation in the open-air work.

He would do the most menial work for the Lord including cleaning all the toilets and the hall every week. He was no preacher, but his life of humble service spoke louder than many sermons. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might …” (Ecclesiastes 9:10) He told me how he had to find the body of a young believer who was killed in a road accident. He went to the morgue and the sight and smell of many dead bodies kept there was terrible, but he lovingly washed and prepared the departed brother’s body and brought it to his family.

He truly humbled himself in every way in his service for His Lord and Saviour. In the words of the Lord Jesus, “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35). Ivan Desai was a servant of all!

His Devotion

No matter how late he went to bed, he would still awake very early every morning to read his Bible and pray. I have many memories of him sitting in the balcony early in the morning reading his Bible and then Charles Mackintosh’s Bible commentaries which was his favourite author.

He was known for his fearless preaching of the gospel and his love for visitation. We have a photo of him preaching the gospel to a rickshaw wallah while travelling in his rickshaw from Vasai station and telling him of his need of Christ and of hell and judgment to come!

His work was physically demanding and though very tired he would still go straight from work to visit the widows and those in need. He had a shepherd’s heart and love for all.

He was one of the instrumental brethren in the planting of the Borivali assembly in 1991. He was also overjoyed when there was an assembly planted in his birthplace at Rabkavi which he visited to help with the work. He laboured much in the Tata Power House Borivali East slum and sought to establish an assembly there. He was a loved and respected elder in the Borivali assembly and they still miss him to this day.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)

Many Sorrows

He knew many sorrows in life with the accident in the garage, the tragic deaths of his daughter Salome, his grandson Ahsish and his son Timothy meeting with an accident which partly paralysed him for life. But he never was bitter towards God and never wavered in his faith in God (1 Peter 1:6-8). He was a great comfort to others in their sorrow.

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Visits To United Kingdom

Ivan Desai visited the United Kingdom three times in 1996, 1999 and 2004 and on each occasion, was helping with the gospel work and preaching to all our unsaved relatives. They sat in their chairs in silence as he blasted the gospel trumpet to them!

He said never in his dreams he thought he would ever visit England. He enjoyed his times here and encouraged the young people of our assembly who affectionately called him the “Bombay Dada!” after hearing his grandsons calling him “dada”.

He kept active even on holiday and renovated our whole house. He was always seeking to do some practical work whether in India or UK. He showed his love by hugging with great force and squeezing the breath out of you! or he would punch you on the arm.

Walking In Heaven

In later life, his knees became so worn out that he was in tears due to the pain. It was decided he should go for knee replacement surgery which took place at Lauds Hospital in 2007. Both knees were replaced, and he was looking forward to returning home but it was to his heavenly home that God called him at 10:45 am on that morning of 3rd April.

He asked Bro. Joymon Muringathery who was taking care of him in the hospital to read his favourite portion, Psalm 91. He was waiting for his son Daniel to come in the vehicle to take him home and while he was walking in the hospital ward exercising his legs, he suddenly felt faint. A blood clot had gone to his lungs, a well-known risk factor in knee surgery. Joymon Muringathery prayed as the nurses took him back to his bed and the doctors sought to resuscitate him. His lasts words were “Amen” to brother Joymon’s prayer.

He is waiting for the redemption of the body laid to rest in Sewree Cemetery. What joy it will be when we shall all meet in the glory to see Jesus our Lord and Saviour and never to part.

So much more could be said by the many who knew and loved him but we trust this short biography will encourage each one to follow his humble, faithful and godly example.

“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” (Hebrews 13:7)

– Nitish Patel

This article originally appeared in the Harvest Times magazine's April 2017 issue.