Cutchi Memon Digest
Kerala
ﮐﮁﻲ ﻤﻴﻤﻦ ﮢ ﺍﯿﺠﺴﭧ - ﮐﻴﺮﻻ
Cutchi Memons came to Mumbai sometime between 1813 and 1816 as they were attracted by its business opportunties. After settling down, they organized themselves into a Jamat. In 1898, they got together under the leadership of prominent members known as Patels. These persons had unquestionable authority over matters relating to the affairs of their brethren.
Gradually, democratic concepts crept into the memb-ers' thinking, and in 1922, for the first time in its history, the community elected a Managing committee. Later, rules and regulations were framed; these were modified and amended from time to time to suit changing condi-tions. In 1931, the trustees of the Sait Karim Mohamm-ed Sulaiman (Cummoo Seth)Trust built a Jamatkhana for the members.
In 1938, the British government enacted the Cutchi Memon Act of 1938, which placed Cutchi Memons under the Muslim Personal Law. This Act displaced the Act of 1920, which permitted Cutchi Memons to choose between the Hindu Law and the Muslim Personal Law.
In 1939, the trustees of the Cummoo Jaffer Trust established a Girls’ School, which was inaugurated by the Sheriff of Bombay, Haji Sulaiman Wahid. The same year, the trustees of Haji Ismail Haji Yusuf Ahmedabadi Trust introduced scholarships for higher education. In 1943, a Cutchi Memon Co-operative Store was estab-lished under the Presidentship of Osman Sobani. How-ever, due to unavoidable circumstances it was closed down, only to be reopened for a short spell; currently, it does not exist.
In 1952, the Jamat saw controversial changes. Since the Jamat was divided on the question of Sudh (Chokha Memon - the “pure”) and Asudh (Besar - the “impure”), the Jamat decided to undertake a census to assess the situation. Purity was maintained when ascendants were all Cutchi Memons with no mixture of non-Cutchi Memon blood. Impurity crept in when there entered non-Cutchi Memon blood in the lineage. Ibrahim Mohammed Wadiwala, Hasham Ismail and Sulaiman Usman Sait gave a workable formula for uniting the Jamat by doing away with the divisions of Sudh and Asudh.
That time saw a crop of Memon journals; one such was the “Memon Mitra” in the Gujarati language edited and published by Usman Japanwala. A free library and rea-ding room was found.
The same year, Ibrahim Moham-med Wadiwala, the President of the Jamat, encouraged youngsters to unite under their own banner; under his guidance, several young students came together to establish the Cutchi Memon Students' Circle. This organization has made tremendous progress over the past six decades in the field of education, fraternity and industry. In 1958, a Nursery Class named Phulwari was started under the helm of A. A .Oomer and under the supervision of Miss Fathima Abdul Sattar (now Mrs. Fathima Rafiq Zakaria). The Jamat has efficiently managed this Phulwari to this day
CUTCHI MEMON JAMATH MUMBAI
Kambekar Street where the Mumbai Jamat and AICM Federation are situate.
In 1962, President Ibrahim Lakhani felt that housing was always a perennial problem for the Jamat members in a growing city which was Bombay, and got eminent personalities involved. They were able to thwart the designs of Bombay Municipal Corporation for obtaining a plot of land at Malad for its own use by securing it from the Zakaria Patel Trust in Malad. Abdul Qayoom Karachiwala and Jaan Mohammed Gadhwala were leaders in the effort to secure this land for the Jamath. Abdul Razak "Saeed" and Shafi Nakhuda took on the project for Building No. 1 and completed its construction for the Cutchi Memon Tenement Board, a trust under the Jamat. In 1972, President Haroon S. Kably saw the completion of Building No. 2 on the same plot of land. At this time the trustees of the Zakaria Patel Trust declared that residents of the four blocks of the sanatorium would be considered as permanent residents.
From 1963 to 1965, Gulam Mahmood Banatwala held the office of President of the Jamat. The Jamat constitution was redrafted under his Presidentship. In 1965, the Jamat started distributing free stationery and textbooks to students under the recommenda-tion and supervision of Abdullah Patka. In 1967, under the chairmanship of Haroon S. Kably, a Scholarship Centralization Board was initiated. Prior to its formation, a needy student had to apply to several trusts for obtaining a scholarship to pursue high school and college education. The Board ensured less paperwork and effort by individual students, proper supervision of allotted amounts so as to avoid duplication.
In 1971, the year of the Jamat Constitution’s Golden Jubilee celebration, an All India Cutchi Memon Conference was arranged under the Presidentship of Haroon S. Kably. Delegates from several Jamats all over India attended the conference. Several useful resolutions were passed; one of them was the formation of the All India Cutchi Memon Federation.
In 1973, the All India Cutchi Memon Federation came into existence. The founder-president was Haroon S. Kably. The Vice-presidents were Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait, MP, and Azeez Sait, MLA -Karnataka. The first Secretary was Abdul Qadeer Moosa Dadani. During the Presidentship of Haroon S. Kably, the trustees of the Kadwani Masjid Trust handed over the trust to the Jamat. The Jamat immediately renovated the masjid. At the same time, the Jamat acquired a thoroughfare in one of the Jamat's kabrastans which restricted its use by non-kabrastan visitors. During the time of Rashid Oomer, "Bazme-e-Khawateen" the Cutchi Memon Women’s Organization was established. This organization started an Industrial Home, which ensured employment to the needy women in the Jamat where they made pickles, papads and other articles of food.
In 1990, Dr. Abdul Rauf Soomar was elected Presid-ent. He remained the Jamat's President for 18 years. He was instrumental in starting a bi-monthly magaz-ine, "Rabitah" in English, Urdu and Gujarati. He also initiated the renovation of the Jamatkhana as well as several repairs at the kabrastans. In August 2007, Dr. Gulam Hussain Siddick Vanjara (G.S. Venjara) was elected President. In January 2014, he was relected.