Muhamadali Manek

 

 

 

This information was given by Kulsumbai (45) about her father’ life.

 

Muhamedali Manek sailed from India to Mombasa, travelled by train to Kisumu then by boat to Jinja via Entebbe.  After working for 15 years at Allidina Visram’s company in Jinja, he bought a farm in 1920, 15 miles away from Jinja near Bujuttani.  He started rearing livestock and growing Rubber, Coffee, Sugar-cane and Maize.  He was even manufacturing Jaggery (Gor).

 

Once Muhamadali bhai travelled for some business and left his wife and family behind.  In his absence, a group of natives with bad intention attacked their house with spears and arrows. Fatmabai (Muhamadali’s wife) bravely took her husband’s rifle and fired some shots to scare the gang away in order to save her and her family’s life and property and Alhamd managed it.

 

Despite of having a fence around the livestock, Muhamadalibhai noticed the shortfall of one animal per day from his herd.  He tried to patrol at night but it was difficult to get the culprit.

 

Once at dawn, it so happened whilst opening his main door he saw two lionesses in front of the door with blood dripping in their mouths, immediately Muhamadali bhai took his gun and shot both the beasts to death.

 

In 1926, Plague epidemic burst out in Bhundoma.  An Ismaili family were the first victims of this killer disease.  This contagious disease attacked the couple of Br. Rashid (the Ismaili) and their daughter.  Unfortunately the wife was the first to die but no one was prepared to wash her body except Fatmabai who with the help of a native lady washed the body and buried.  The second victim was Br. Rashid himself who was even denied the washing ritual by their Community and Muhamadali helped with it.  Lastly their daughter even died who was deprived of the “ghusl”, once again Fatmabai volunteered to do the needful.

 

Translated by F. Ali

 

Extracted from Trade Directory 1960

 

The below link has been provided by Jaffer bhai Manek, the grandson of Marhum Muhamadali Manek

 

You might like to see the biography of Mohamed Manek, of Jinja, Uganda. http://host.webinnovation-host.net/~eacircle/mm.shtml

 

 

 

Songea in early 1960s

 

Picture Courtesy of Husseinali K. Rajani

 

Anyone with details on this Photograph is requested to provide

 

Members of the Community are requested to forward this to contacts on their mailing list.

Any suggestions/comments can be sent to federation@raha.com

 

 

 

The above picture was circulated last week and we have received the details for the unknown person as marked below:

 

Mwanza Jamaat delegation to the Supreme Council Meeting in Arusha. – 1970s

Pictured from left to right are:

Rafiq Dhalla, Hassan Karim, Roshan Mamdani, Mulla Asgher M M Jaffer, Unknown = (Hussein Nasser Walji), Gulam Hussein Sumar, Nizar Jiwa Hasham, Gulam Kara and Azad Poptani