Title
Honoring Kawaljit Bhatia for 50 years of entrepreneurship and a successful lifelong career across the Twin Cities.
Body
WHEREAS, Kawaljit Bhatia, also known as "Jit" was born June 11, 1949 in Kanpur, India and studied at Mussoori Allen Memorial School in Uttar Pardesh in 1959 where he met Dali Lama who blessed him after fleeing China; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from VNSL inter-college in India at the age of sixteen, he traveled to Japan in 1966 then Europe in 1970 where Jit met someone from Hibbing, Minnesota who encouraged him to emigrate to Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, Jit arrived to Minnesota believes in taking risks and being at the right place at the right time, so on July 4, 1970 to attend the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul he made his way to the Twin Cities; and
WHEREAS, Jit fell in love with the Twin Cities and the opportunities that arose for him in America. His life motto soon became “stay young and have fun”; and
WHEREAS, as a self-proclaimed hippie and lover of all things counterculture, Jit opened High Times, a head shop in downtown Minneapolis in 1974, and opened a new store in downtown Saint Paul next to Candyland; and
WHEREAS, Jit also owned buildings across the street from First Avenue, where he has fond memories of meeting a seventeen-year-old Prince; and
WHEREAS, Prince filmed his “Purple Rain” music video in one of his buildings across the street from First Avenue; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, Jit purchased an historic building at 205 West 7th Street and moved his retail store, High Times from Minneapolis to that location; named it Maharaja’s; and
WHEREAS, Jit renamed High Times to Maharaja's and has owned it since 1984,
WHEREAS, Maharaja's - set up to honor his late daughter Ena - is a one stop “alternative gift shop” ranging from Rock ‘n Roll and pop culture memorabilia, antiques, clothing, collectables, body jewelry, and more; and
WHEREAS, Jit soon realized his love for Saint Paul and purchased many other businesses in Saint Paul including Sun Bums T-shirts, a beauty school and cosmetology center, opened the first Mideastern restaurant in the Twin Cities, and established several fine art galleries; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his successful business ventures, Jit is proud to have one of the largest rock poster collections in the country, which includes the entire Grateful Dead works of some 20,000 pieces that he acquired after the groups’ legendary guitarist and band leader, Jerry Garcia died; and
WHEREAS, Jit also owns an assortment of signed Peter Max originals, Warhol's, and the works of other artists, in addition to poster collections from Russian and Native American art; and Now Therefore,
WHEREAS, Today, Jit owns real estate, retail stores, a dispensary, and liquor stores across the Twin Cities, and in his own words, “It was not easy, but it was fun. Only in this country, it is possible to do the things I have been able to do.”
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council honor Kawaljit “Jit” Bhatia for his remarkable 40 50 years of entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and the success of Maharaja's in his many business ventures across Minneapolis and Saint Paul.