SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

CARRIER FUNERAL HOME

38 Range Road, Route 111, Windham, NH 03087

10:30 AM Visiting Hours

11:45 AM Prayers, Thoughts & Memories from Family & Friends

2:00 PM  Family Proceeds to Private Cremation

With love, we invite you to wear colorful clothing to honor and celebrate Anil's life.

Remember Anil virtually by clicking here at 11:45 AM

A CELEBRATION OF ANIL RATILAL SHAH'S LIFE

Anil Ratilal Shah was born on April 6, 1940. His happiest place was being surrounded by his family: his wife, Veena, whom he affectionately called Baka; his three loving daughters, Neili, Pinky, and Annie; his sons-in-law who he loved like sons, Sumul, Chadwick, and Keith- o; and his seven grandchildren—Alaya, Jaiden, Niam, Anya, Sia, Jaya, and Zakeer. He passed peacefully surrounded by the four women in his life, as they chanted the navkar mantra and told him that he could let go. In the final hours of his life they told stories that made them laugh and cry, held him, admired his beautiful face, and promised him that they would always take care of each other and keep the lessons he taught them, through his example.

He was born and raised in Patasapol, Ahmedabad, a vibrant pol in the Old City. Anil transitioned to the next part of his journey near his favorite day, Kite Day, in India. He would often reminisce about expertly flying kites on the terrace. His nephews and nieces can still picture his slick style and competitive spirit as they watched him teach them the best techniques for cutting another kite's string. His daughters could always picture it in their minds too, wishing they could somehow travel back in time and witness that part of his childhood—a longing many children feel, but perhaps more viscerally for the children of adventurous immigrants who, like their parents, learned to navigate life between two worlds and two cultures.

Anil, the son of Chandan and Ratilal Ghirdirlal Shah, was the seventh of nine children and the youngest boy—naughty and spoiled, especially by his mother, who always made sure he had extra limboo and his favorite foods waiting for him after a long day at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). His dream had been to become an engineer, and despite having no guidance, he made it happen. At home, everyone called him Babo, and even the neighbors knew him as Babo Sheth.

Anil inherited his sense of style, zest for life, and generous spirit from his father, who wore silver and gold buttons and cufflinks that had to be fastened by hand, one at a time. He loved playing records on the gramophone—a rare luxury at the time. They were one of only two families in the pol with a car, and Ratilal Dada would always lend it out for neighbors' weddings or other needs. He taught his children, "If you have something and others don't, you share it."

As a kaka and mama, Anil was a guru—teaching them how to ride a bicycle, playing cricket in the pol, supporting everyone with math studies and career goals, ordering kaman and carefully dividing it so all could share, and always making sure everyone stayed together. The title mama suited him perfectly; he was, after all, a "double ma."

He was shokeen—deeply curious about the world, a lover of life, food, music, travel, archiving through photography and video, and dressing well. When he moved to Philadelphia in 1971, leaving behind a 21-day-old daughter and a young bride, he learned how to strike a balance: holding fast to his culture and religion while also embracing parts of a new world. He recorded an audio tape of Neili crying so he could hear her voice and worked tirelessly to reunite his family with him. A year later, he succeeded—this time in Boston. Their first apartment was at 777 Huntington Avenue in Roxbury. Anil was told that 777 was a lucky number—fitting for a man who was rich not in material wealth, but in love, service, faith, integrity, family, and friendship.

The day before Pinky was born, Anil finally landed a civil engineering job at Stone and Webster. Those early days of figuring out life were filled with Kix with yogurt instead of boondi and raita, car rides filled with the sounds of the Hindi mix cassettes Anil would have specially made in India, trips to Jackson Heights to purchase basmati rice and bags of ghao nu lot, watching Dynasty, celebrating Halloween and Christmas, and enjoying Bollywood movies starring Amitabh, Shashi Kapoor, Sridevi, and Hema Malini. Eventually, Anil and Veena even ran an Indian movie rental business out of their house. One day, Anil came home with a tiny box with holes and presented Neili, Pinky, and Annie with a new kitten, whom they named Jackie. Anil was always thrilled to preserve his Indian roots while embracing the new cultural ones around him.

Anil was one of the pioneering members of the Jain Center of Greater Boston. His daughters can still picture him at the old Norwood temple, gently moving his head to the rhythm of the stavans, seated in his usual corner near the front of the stage, with the red carpets beneath him. After prayers, the family would head downstairs to sit cross-legged across from each other and savor the home-cooked food that the aunties and uncles always served to the children first. Everyone would make sure the children ate their fill, often playfully insisting or even gently forcing bites—a reflection of a culture where children were treated as their own and everyone felt responsible for each other's upbringing. These small rituals—feeding, teasing, guiding—made every visit feel like family in the fullest sense.

Another of Anil's dreams was to have his own business. He first ran his travel agency, Neili Travels, followed by his appliance business, Anar Enterprises. Later, he learned how to cut diamonds at the DeCordova Museum, studied the diamond trade in India, and eventually opened Annie Diamonds, which became his enduring career and the foundation for his family's life. He later started a second business, Belgium Diamonds, in Burlington. Veena was by his side the entire time, learning the trade with him. Anil never wanted to undertake any endeavor without Veena—he never had a single account or venture without her name on it.

He always believed she was his lucky charm.

Anil and Veena settled in Burlington for most of their lives, building deep roots and a strong, vibrant community. Anil was one of the founding members of a second Jain temple in the state. They did puja in the morning and played cards with friends late into the night once a week, danced at garba during Navratri at Burlington High School, sent their daughters through the public school system, and commuted together on the 352 bus to Boston— walking from the Haymarket Stop to Downtown Crossing and then to the Jewelers' Exchange Building at 333 Washington Street.

After years of hard work, Anil finally found time to relax. He and Veena moved to Malden into a two-family home with Annie, Keith, and their growing family. Seeing his two youngest grandchildren every day and ending each night by giving them his ashirvaad was the perfect close to his day. Each morning he began with prayer—looking at the photographs of his parents and Veena's parents, reciting the Navkar Mantra, and chanting the names of Veena, Neili, Pinky, Annie, Sumul, Chadwick, Keith-O, Alaya, Jaiden, Niam, Anya, Sia, Jaya, and Zakeer, asking for their safety and well-being. At breakfast, he would send his daily Jai Jinendra text to everyone, signed Mommy/Daddy, Nana/Nani.

When Anil first saw Veena on those steps in Palitana fifty-six years ago, did he sense the beautiful life they would build together? When they spoke privately in Shankheshwar about a possible marriage—Anil sharing his wish to go to America, Veena saying she wasn't interested but didn't want her parents burdened by a dowry, and Anil replying that a dowry didn't matter to him—could they have known how deeply blessed the Shah kutumb would become through their union? When they were once stuck after hours in Law Garden during their brief engagement, and Anil carefully lifted Veena over the fence to safety, did they know their love would be so pure and steadfast that life without one another would be unimaginable?

Years later, as Anil became Veena's devoted sous chef, chopping vegetables with meticulous precision, it was clear they knew they were best friends. Always chatting, always aligned on what mattered, and always bickering over the silliest things—so much so that their daughters affectionately called them "the Muppets." The two of them were a team. They raised their children and grandchildren with deep unconditional love and the most open mind and acceptance.

You will likely see us laughing and crying. It is sometimes said that tears are the love we cannot express. Though Anil was told daily by his wife and daughters how deeply he was loved, it could never have been enough. Veena, Neili, Pinky, and Annie were blessed to have a man in their lives who was unafraid of his emotions—an ultimate girl-dad, deeply sensitive and endlessly loving. The family invites you to laugh and cry with them, and to please share stories that honor his life and legacy because they want to talk about him and remember him every moment they can for the rest of their lives.

Jai Jinendra.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

Indian Circle for Caring USA Inc., (ICC), Cell: 781-888-3200 Community Services organization making an impact since 2007.

Non-profit tax ID 26-0552373