Cutchi Memon Digest
Kerala
ﮐﮁﻲ ﻤﻴﻤﻦ ﮢ ﺍﯿﺠﺴﭧ - ﮐﻴﺮﻻ
In this column we give brief life-sketches of our community leaders among Kochi Memons. Currently available information relates to and limited mainly to the contents of the CMJ &CMA Jubilee Souvenir of 1998-99; and scanty updates from other sources.
We have already presented a brief on Haji Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait in the February issue. Please click here to visit that page.
Abdul Azeez Zakeria Sait
Born in 1913 in Mattancherry as son of Zakria Sait and Ammi Bai (Moonnam Maliga). Married in 1938. He had his education at the Santa Cruz High School at Fort Kochi.
Though the Cutchi Memons represented an elite and prosperous community with affluent men at the crest, by 1947 the plight of the common Memons had deteriorated to a pitiable trough where living had become so difficult that for each and everything like burying the dead or marrying off the daughters they had to beg the kindness of individual rich men of the community as the Jamath and collective support mechanism had failed totally. Pained by this condition of the Cutchi Memons Abdul Azeez Sait convened a dinner meeting at his Fort Kochi house, in May 1948, which “became the nucleus to form the Cutchi Memon Association”, recalls Haji Ahmed Usman Sait, who was a participant at that meeting. There itself he was nominated as founder President. The CMA officially came into being on June, 1948. He continued as President till his death in 1951.
In October 1951 he went for Hajj together with his mater-nal uncle H.D. Yunus Sait of Thiruvananthapuram (incidentally, father - in- law of his brother Abdul Kader Zackeria Sait). He expired at the Holy Mecca on 24th October 1951, due to severe sunstroke, just after compl-eting the Hajj, and was buried in Mecca. He was survived by his only son Abdul Rasheed, now in Chennai.
Haji Abdullah Adam Sait
A name Kochi Memons cannot recall but with pious rega-rds. Though much of his biographical data is not readily available he is well remembered for the charitable Trust established by him, though formalised by his children, posthumous. He was a leading textile merchant of Kochi. He was a co-founder of the Indian Chamber of Commer-ce and its President for 12 years during 1905-1917. He was a close friend of the Maharajah of Kochi. He is on record to have built the first Ahle Hadith Mosque in Kerala, the Cutchi Musalman Juma Masjid, a.k.a. Puthiya Palli. (See picture on Kochi Memons and Religion page) He had set apart a sizable portion of his wealth for charit-able purposes under a very comprehensive and thought-ful wasiyath (Will) which provided that the income from the properties shall be divided into four parts. One for the benefits of the Cutchi Memon Community, one for the Muslims at large, the third for the upkeep of Mosques and Madrasas and the fourth part for development of the Trust properties for further income generation. The first managing Trustee was Abdul Latheef Haji Essa Sait, son-in-law of Haji Abdulla Adam Sait. Apart from this three trusts were established by his wife Hawa Bai and daughters Zulekha Bai and Asia Bai by their own names.
Haji Abdulla Haji Ahmed Sait
Abdulla Haji Ahmed Sait was yet another senior political figure from among the Cutchi Memons of Kochi. He was a secr-etariat member and President of the District Muslim League Committee, Erna-kulam District till June 2006 when he was made Vice President of the party which
position he held till death. He was the General Secretary of Kerala Muslim Educational Association. The KMEA Al Manaar Higher Secondary School at Edathala, Kuzhivel-ipady, Aluva of which he was Manager for long, is dedic-ated to him in memorium. He had been the Managing Trustee for Haji Abdulla haji Adam Sait Trust which is one of the biggest Trusts in Kerala and Mutawalli of Puthiya Palli, Mattancherry, Thuruthy Masjid, Masjidul Musafiriyat Ernakulam, and Kadavanthra Masjid, Ernakulam. He also served s the Treasurer of Cochin Yatheem Khana of Ernakulam, President of Cochin Cutchi Memon Associat-ion, President of Iqbal Library and Reading Room and as General Secretary of Cutchi Memon Jamath. He was also a member of governing bodies of SSM Polytexhnic, Tirur, Broadway Masjid, and Trustee of Hawa Bai Trust, Asiya Bai Trust and Zulkha Bai Trust.
Haji Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait
Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait is renowned as the pioneer in the mechanised water transport system in Kerala. The imperfect communication between numerous places in the Malabar Coast in the latter part of the nineteenth century had prevented the industrial and commercial development of the area. The development activities were enabled and the foundation of many industries and commercial houses were laid with the commencement of steam boat services between Kochi and Alappuzha extending over to Arattup-uzha, Kayamkulam and Kollam. The first to lead the servi-ces was Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait with the establish-ment of “Malabar Navigation Industrials” pooling together the individual boats and services owned by himself, Walli-bhoy Kaderbhoy & Co and Ahmed Hasbulla. The Malabar Navigation and Industrials Ltd. was registered as a comp-any on March 3, 1913 with a capital of Rs. 5 lakh. The boats carried passengers between Kochi and Kollam, and between Kochi and Changanasserry, touching all the human settlements enroute. They also carried goods and mail on account of the British Government and the States of Travancore and Cochin.
He was the largest supplier of rice to Cochin and Travan-core. He was the President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce during 1917 to 1922. He was also a founder member of the Coronation Club. He constructed a mosq-ue in Aluva, which was recently renovated with the assist-ance from the Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait Juma Masjid. He created a trust in the name of Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait Dharmasthapanam and donated to this Trust an isla-nd of 154.27 acres of coconut garden known as Sathar Island and also some buidings at Cochin and Trippunith-ura, the then capital of Cochin. 25% of the income arising out of these properties was earmarked for higher educati-on, construction and repairs of mosques, for conducting Madrassas, marriages of poor irls, medical treatment and other charities. The remaining income was meant for the welfare of the members of his family in the then and future generations.
Aboobacker Ahmed Patel
Born on 24th May 1926 at Mangalore as son of Ahmed Patel. He had education at Mangalore. He was married to Aysha Bai, daughter of Abdulla Ommer Sait, Kochi on 1st October 1950. He had four daughters and two sons. He entered in
business in 1950 and later established the firm The Kerala Hides and Skins in Kochi. He donated 3.46 cents of land with a building in Survey No. 60 of Mattancherry village to the Cutchi memon Jamath, in memory of his wife who predeceased him.
Adam Aboobacker Sait (Shamsu)
Born on 14th November 1941 at Kochi, son of Aboobacker Sait, grand son of Shah Bahadur S. Adam Sait of Thiruvan-anthapuram, former member of the Legislative Council of Travancore and
great grand son of Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait. He had been in business as Managing Partner of Real Point & Trans India and was a social worker. Since 1978 he had been the Managing Trustee of Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait Trust. He was a member of the Kerala Waqf Board and of Cutchi Memon Association Managing Committee; President of Abdul Sathar Haji Moosa Sait Juma Masjid Trust Commit-tee, Aluva, State Treasurer of Kerala State Swathanthra Karshaka Sang-ham, Sub Editor of Memon Mirror, Director of Y's Men Club of Ernakulam, State Vice President, Kerala Wakf Mutavally Association, Vice President of M.S.S. Ernaku-lam District Committee, President of Indian Union Musl-im League Ernakulam Division Committee, General Secreatry of Ernakulam Town Muslim Relief Committee, Member of Indian Red Cross Society, and Member, Memon Assistance Nourishment Services of Cutchi Memon Association are some of his achievements.
CUTCHI MEMON LEADERS OF KOCHI
Ahmed Usman Sait
See also the page THE SAGA OF ABAD
Ahmed Usman Sait was born on 15th November 1928 at Kochi as son of Haji Usman Mohamed Hashim Sait and Zulekha Bai. He had his education at T.D. High School, Maharajah's College and the Law College, Ernakulam. He married Kulsum Bai daughter of Haji
Essack Haji Abdul Sathar Sait. He was blessed with two sons, Riyaz Ahmed Sait and Asif Ahmed Sait, and a daughter, Firdous Aslam.
He was a very active social enthusiast and edited the Chitram Cinema magazine during 1949-53. The magazine which was started by him, however,had a short life in spite of very good circulation, due to pressure of his business responsibiities.
He joined the Abad Fisheries as Partner in 1951. He has widely travelled the world for business purposes. One of his great successes was the revolutionised adoption of Individual Quick Freezing system where every individual piece of prawn, squid etc. was freezed in a specialized cold blast freezing machine as against the conventional blast freezing in a cold storage system, for the first time in the Indian marine products indudtry. He could capture the overseas market with IQF products for their keeping quality and split thawing besides quality assurance owing to arrested microbial activity. Added benefits were highly controlled and cost effective production system coupled with savings, clean and orderly storekeeping.
With the expansion of business in Kochi and the affiliation of various regional business associations the Indian Chamber of Commerce lost its ab initio character of a Cutchi Memon institution. After A.R. Abdul Hameed Sait, no Cutchi Memon could adorn the President's chair for 22 years from 1951 to 1972, until Ahmed Usman Sait was elected as its President in 1972. He was the President of Corona-tion Club, another Cutchi Memon dominated presti-geous entity, in 1971-79.
He has served in various capacities on the manag-ement committees and boards of Seafoods Export-ers Association of India, Marine Products Export Promotion Council, Kerala Small Scale Industries Association, Cochin College, Kerala Regional Telecom Advisary Board, Greater Cochin Develop-ment authority. He was the Trustee of Cochin Orphanage Trust and President of the Kochi Cutchi Memon Jamath during the 1998-99 Jubilee year.
Dawood Mohamed Sait
alias Ramju Master
An icon of the Cutchi Memons everywhere! Poverty amidst prosperity and possessing exemplary talen-ts. Barring a few blessed men the cross section of memons bear a hand to mouth existence, too proud to beg or seek help. Ramju Master went through life's mill often crushed and flattened but always wore a smile and charitable countenanace.
His father Mohamed Haji Dawood Sait was unable to support his education beyond the Kochi T.D. High School. Young Dawood joined the Haji Essa Haji Moosa Memorial High School as a teacher. But soon resigned on account of a difference of opinion with the managem-ent, though he rejoined the same school later after the management had changed. Earnings as a teacher being paltry he joined the Cochin Commercial Bank on the advise and with the help of Haji Essa Haji Abdul Sathar Sait who was a director on the Board of the Bank.
As luck would have it, Ramju Master became ill and had to resign his job with the bank. While convale-scing he sharpened his skills in Urdu poetry and composed many a parady to Urdu songs of Shake-el Badayuni that were published in the Urdu magaz-ine Shama of Delhi.
While at Haji Essa School, he married Ayima Bai, daughter of Ebrahim Barrister. The marriage ended up in divorce, without issues. He then married Amina Bai daughter of Dada Sait. The couple had a son whom he named Shakeel out of his love and reverence for Shakeel Badayuni!!
Just then A.R. Abdul Hameed Sait, younger brother of A.R. Sulaiman Sait of Alappuzha, was appointed agent for Mohammadi Steamship Company. Ramju Master was appointed as Manager at Kochi. But in about five years' time the company was closed and Ramju Master once again became jobless. He did not take up any job thereafter. For a living he offerred tuition at home.
Ramju Master was a good film critic and actor too. He co-starred Prof. Yusuf Sait's Andher in 1944. He also acted in the dramas 'Talavidhi Mattan' and 'Dushyanthan' of Cochin Cultural Art Association. He was a member of the Editorial Board of Deepthi.
Ramju Master passed away on 27th June 1976.
Esmail Haji Essa Sait
Born in 1902 as the son of Hajee Essa Hajee Moosa Sait. He was a renowned business man and philant-hropist of Kochi. The long list of his attainments include membership of the Cochin Legislative Council, Chairmanship of Mattancherry Municipal Council from 1941 to 1945 and the honorary posit-ion of Bench Magistrate of Mattancherry. He was the Vice President of the Indian Chamber of Comm-erce and of the Coronation Club, Director of Indo-Mercantile Bank and of the Government Land Mortgage Bank. He was also on the Cochin Harbour Advisory Board and Cochin Staff Selection Board.
The Government of India conferred on him the title of ‘Khan Saheb’ in 1943. He was the recipient of King George V Silver Jubilee Medal and the King George VI Coronation Medal. He founded the Hajee Essa Hajee Moosa Memorial High School which was inaugurated by the Maharajah himself. He died at the young age of 47.
Abdul Latheef Haji Essa Sait and was blessed with a son, Babu Sait and a daughter Zubaida Bai.
He served in various capacities as follows
- Vice President of Cochin State Muslim League
- Vice President of Municipal Council
- President, Cutchi Memon Association (1956-57)
- President, Iqbal Library
- President, Cutchi Memon Jamath (1976-78)
- Managing Council Member of All India Cutchi Memon Federation (1975-81)
- Member, Kerala Waqf Board (1965-75)
- Treasurer, Kerala Muslim Educational Association
- Governing body member, SSM Polytechnic Tirur (Till 1983)
- Managing Committee member, J.D.T. Islam Orphanage, Calicut; Tirurangadi Orphanage, Tirurangadi; and Cochin Orphanage, Ernakulam
- Director, Metal Industries Ltd.; Kerala Planters Ltd. and Cochin Commercial Bank Ltd.
- Managing Trustee of Asia Bai Trust, Haji Abdul Latheef Haji Essa Sait Trust, Khadeeja Bai Trust and Zanana Madrassa Islamiya Trust
Died on 8th May 1983.
Haji Essa Haji Abdul Sathar Sait (Kikki Sait)
Born in 1909. He was a business-man and landlord renowned for his charity and philanthropy. He was married to Khadeeja Bai alias Ayima Bai, daughter of Hajee