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Among the Indians in Zanzibar the Parsees
and Goans formed fairly average sized communities.
We had earlier talked about the Parsees. We now bring up the Goans. They were hardworking and flamboyant people. In
actual fact they did not consider themselves Indians as Goa
then was under the colonial rule of the Portuguese. Also with their Christian
background and fluency in English they could easily connect themselves with
the colonials. No doubt the Barretos and Carvalhos featured prominently in Zanzibar’s banks and administrative set
ups. Some were specialized as tailors. A Goan
tailor shop in the stone town was a common sight. They had their twin towered
cathedral with statues of Virgin Mary located in Vuga
beside the Samachar Printing Press across Portuguese street.
What comes to mind is the spectacle of their funeral procession in Zanzibar. There was
somberness about it. The cortege would be led by a pole bearer followed by a
black cart with wreaths laid over it, and then the relatives carrying the
coffin over their shoulders. The mourners in their black attire walked behind
in dignified manner.
Some of Zanzibar’s prominent doctors like Demello, Menezes, D’silva and Maitra were Goans. The Goans also excelled
in sports. They had their ‘Goan Club’ and ‘Goan Institute’. The burly James D’lord
was one of Zanzibar’s
hardest hitter of the cricket ball. The Goans along
with Hindus and Comorians were dominant in field hockey. Their school St. Joseph Convent run by the Catholic Mission
was one of Zanzibar’s
most prestigious school that admitted besides
Catholic only selective non Catholic pupils. The school was located behind
the High Court which was on the main Shangani Road
where many Goans resided. The road
stretched up to the Post Office at the far end of Portuguese street where mainly the
Hindu community resided.
The Hindus in Zanzibar were an
enterprising community, and foremost among them were the Bhatias.
It is said that the brothers Jeraj and Eebji Shivji were the first to
settle in Zanzibar.
Later their surname Shivji changed to Swaly which is derivative of the term ‘Swahili’. Narandas Swaly, a reputed
contractor, whose expertise our forefathers sought in having their walls and
ceilings bricked up, and Vinod Swaly,
a very popular teacher at the Agakhan Secondary
School, were the descendents of Eebji Swaly.
Here we need to point up
a significant and historic incident. It was the visit of Mahatma Gandhi to
Bhatia Mahajanvadi at Ziwani
en route from South Africa
to India.
There is an interesting anecdote relating to this episode. Gandhiji refused to enter the Bhatia Mahajanvadi
building as there was a notice saying 'Bhatia sivay
koine andar aavavani raja nathi' (only Bhatias are allowed to enter) .
That really embarrassed the committee. The notice was immediately removed and
after persuasion Gandhiji consented to enter the
building. Years later in 1948 Gandhiji was
assassinated and sadly this time his ashes brought to Zanzibar when a large number of Asians
gathered at the dock as a mark of respect for this great Mahatma. The ashes were then taken
to Jinja (Uganda)
to be scattered in the Nile.
The Hindus observed diwali with great pomp and ceremony. The diwali illumination brightened up Shangani/Portuguese/Hurumzi
(Vaddi Bhajaar) streets
and they burst with crackers. On the eve of Diwali
‘chopra puja’ was held in
every shop. Even Muslim shopkeepers participated in this ‘puja’.
Every Indian shopkeeper had his ‘namu’ (accounts)
done in ‘Gujarati’ and he closed his books to transfer the balances into the
new ones on the Hindu New Year. Also the rupee was Zanzibar’s legal tender. The Bhatias were held in very high esteem by the Sultan and some even acted as advisers to him. The Jetha Leela private bank
located in Portuguese street
may be recorded as one of the oldest financial institutions in East Africa. The street also housed the clinics of
the well known Hindu doctors - Dr. Goradia, Dr.
Mehta and Dr. Patel who were immensely popular with the settlers.
Zanzibar
was indeed blessed with great professionals and formidable intellects. The
round clock protruding from the building on Shangani
signified Zanzibar's
High Court. Its Chief Justice, Sir John Grey, formed an authority on Zanzibar's judicial
system. Other prominent personalities included Judge Green, Magistrate Husain
Rahim and Registrar Husain Nazarali.
Zanzibar
boasted a Secular Court
and a Sharia Court.
Sheikh Omar Smet and Abdullah Saleh
Farsi were Chief Kadhi for the Sharia Court. The Talati brothers of 'Wiggins and Stephens' and the Lakha brothers were some of Zanzibar's leading lawyers. Wolf Dourado went on to become the Attorney General in the
post Revolution phase.
Zanzibar's
oldest newspaper was a weekly Samachar published by Fazel
Master whose establishment dated back to 1903. The bilingual (English and
Gujarati) paper was circulated on Sundays only. Such another was 'Zanzibar Voice' by
Ibrahim Kassam. Also Rati
Bulsara entered with his very own Adal Insaaf.
The Government Press besides the gazette delivered Maarifa on Thursdays.
Portuguese street
adjoined Sokomohogo/Mkunazini streets
which were largely occupied by the Bohoras who were old
settlers and dealt in hardware, crockery or had tin/glass cutting workshops.
They had as many as three mosques which were situated at Kiponda, Mkunazini and Sokomohogo.
Their gym/club was the finest with excellent facilities. The famed Karimjee Jivanjee family
belonged to the Bohora community. Two of the Karimjee brothers were honoured
with knighthood by the British Colonial Government, Sir Yusufali
& Sir Tayabali. The late His Holiness Syedna Taher Saifuddin paid a visit to Zanzibar in the late 1950s (or was it early
1960s?). On that occasion the Bohora Scout troop
displaying their classic band marched majestically through the streets of
stone town. At night Mkunazini and Sokomohogo were transformed into a glitter. The spacious Bohora School compound exhibited spectacular replica of
the ‘Sefi Mahal’ (Syedna’s Bombay
mansion). In adherence to the salutary advice by Syedna
a great number of Bohoras staked their livelihood
in Zanzibar.
Presently theirs is the largest community abounding in prosperity..
There was great
concentration of Kutchi Sunnis too in Mkunazini/Sokomohogo. They comprised Memon, Khatri, Sonara, Sumra, Surya, Loharwadha, Girana, Juneja, Sameja, Chaki, Kumbhar, Hajam, Bhadala and
such Kutchi artisan/smith
communities. There were also Sunni communities
other than Kutchi such
as Kokni (Muslims from Maharashtra) and Surti Vora (Muslims
from Surat,
Gujarat). Equally early settlers were
the Kutchi Sunnis. As a matter of fact our
forefathers were brought to Zanzibar
in dhows navigated by the Kutchi Sunnis. In the
instance of Kutchi Kumbhars
(a pottery class) some inhabited Makunduchi. They
built up contacts with the locals there, spoke fluent Kiswahili and attended
school in Makunduchi where medium of instruction
was Kiswahili. The owners of ‘Sura Store’ and ‘Muzammil’ who were destined to flourish in the post
Revolution phase are the progeny of this ancestry.
Portuguese street
also converged on Hurumzi (Vaddi Bhajaar) where
the Hindu and Jain temples were located. The street extended up to Saleh Madawa's shop or the monumental Ismaili Jamaatkhana that
stretched all the way from one road to another. It formed terminus for
several by-ways and lanes that headed towards the Khoja dominated Kiponda/Malindi. In the early days the Ismailis had jamaatkhana even
in Sateni, Bumbwini and Chwaka. Obviously the Khojas (Ithnashris & Ismailis)
formed the bulk of the settlement (amply evidenced by the earlier days’ census))
and were scattered all over Zanzibar
including Ngambu, Bububu,
Mfenesini, Bumbvini, Chwaka and Makunduchi.
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