A shopkeeper in Dharmsala, India, Nowrojee was distressed that his little town was dying since British citizens left India after independence and partition in 1947.
He worked on several initiatives to revive his town, and one finally paid off in 1960: on his invitation, the exiled Dalai Lama set up his headquarters there. The town was so revitalized by the move that Nowrojee commented in 1998 that “Unfortunately, it’s getting overcrowded.” Nowrojee died in his sleep October 24 just after welcoming the Dalai Lama back to town from his recent European tour. He was 83.