Jackson Heights is mourning the loss of Bhadra Butala, founder of Butala Emporium and the Gandhian Society and a longtime cultural anchor of the neighborhood’s South Asian community. Butala died at home on Dec. 17, according to family members. He is survived by his wife, Gita Butala, his two sons, Shaswat and Killol Butala, and his grandchildren Avani, Aditi, Anay and Anika.
For more than 30 years, the original Butala Emporium has stood on 74th Street as one of the most enduring institutions in Jackson Heights’ “Little India.” As many small businesses in the area have come and gone — cassette and DVD shops, short-lived boutiques and other markers of shifting immigrant economies — the Emporium has remained a constant.
The Jackson Heights store is known for its dense, almost museum-like assortment of South Asian cultural and religious goods. Shoppers can find incense and puja supplies, Hindu and Jain statues, books in multiple subcontinent languages, Ayurvedic texts, musical instruments, carrom boards, jewelry, festival décor and carved wooden furniture housed downstairs.
Generations of families have relied on the shop during major festivals such as Diwali, Holi and Raksha Bandhan. Travel writers, historians and neighborhood guides have repeatedly pointed to Butala Emporium as the place to “immerse yourself in the Indian way of life.” A 2008 American Historical Association walking guide also singled it out as emblematic of the South Asian corridor in Queens. Over the years, new branches opened in Iselin and Jersey City, N.J., and Glen Oaks, N.Y.
Butala was not only a businessman, but also a cultural interpreter. In a 1994 New York Times article, he was quoted explaining the meaning of Raksha Bandhan — a festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters — to a customer there.
Beyond the business, Butala founded the Gandhian Society, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that promotes the values of ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truth), seva (selfless service) and prem (love for humanity). Butala, who was born in the Gujarat region of India to a family of Ayurvedic practitioners, described himself as passing along their tradition of unconditional love and spirituality.
A person who said they worked closely with Butala recalled that the Covid crisis revealed the depth of his service: under Butala’s “visionary leadership,” the Gandhian Society was one of the first groups to send oxygen concentrators and ambulances to India ambulances. They described him as “a kind, noble, and truly good human being, whose compassion and integrity touched everyone around him.”
Funeral and cremation services for Butala were held Saturday in North Brunswick, N.J. When Epicenter NYC visited the Jackson Heights store last week, the bright lights and strong scent of incense still filled the space, illuminating rows of puja items, soaps and figurines. Behind the glass storefront and a poster commemorating its founder, a woman in a hijab and a man sat quietly in the back, wiping away tears.
As Jackson Heights continues to evolve, many in the neighborhood see Butala Emporium and the life of its founder as a reminder that immigrant small businesses do more than sell goods. They carry memory, ritual and connection across oceans and generations.
37-46 74th St. in Jackson Heights, Queens
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day
(718) 899-5590
