Karmali Alibhai

Ladhibai Jeevan Rajan came from Nanduri and Karmali Alibhai from Hadiyana, both villages near Jamnagar in Kathiawad, India.

Ladhibai was the daughter of a wealthy family. It was said that if a traveler stopped by their house, even the horse was given water in a golden vessel. When it came time to find a suitable boy for Ladhibai, the call went out and seven boys from seven different villages came asking for her hand. Ladhibai’s father rejected six suiters even though they came from rich families and, instead, chose Karmali, a poor scholar.

Karmali Alibhai and his bride came to the eastern coast of Africa, Dar es Salaam, sometime in the second half of the first decade of the last century. They had three children - Mohamedali, Fatma and Hussein-all of whom died during the plague that came with the great war of 1914-18.

The couple returned to India. There, in the village of Hadiyana, a passing Sadhu said to Ladhibai, “You are sad today, but don’t cry. You will return across the oceans and will have a daughter in a year, and then three sons. If this comes true, then give me a set of clothes.”

Karmalibhai and Ladhibai returned to Dar es Salaam where they had a daughter (Fatma) more or less a year later and then, three sons (Alarakhia, Yusuf and Mohamed).