Dharamsi Khatau
- Parents
- Siblings
His brother Dharamsi Khatau left Bombay in 1880 with their parents, and the wife and daughters of Killu Khutau, journeying for a month in a dhow to Mombasa.2* The long journey and the sadness of Killu’s death is said to have led to the death of their father. Due to this, Dharamsi Khatau decided not to disembark in Mombasa and stayed on board longer till the family reached Zanzibar. He established Dharamsi Khatau and Co., which imported textiles from Germany, and proceeded to set up multiple branches throughout East Africa, including in Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi, Mazeras, Takangu, Kisumu, Bukoba, Nairobi and Meru, where the newly arrived Twelver vShi‘as worked before establishing their own businesses.26
The Shias of South Asia, Soumen Mukherjee pg 122
In 1880, Dharamsi Khatua immigrated to Zanzibar from Bombay after travelling for a month in a dhow. He established Dharamsi Khatau and Co., which imported textiles from Germany, and proceeded to set up 40 branches throughout East Africa, including in Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi, Mazeras, Takangu, Kisumu, Bukoba, Nairobi and Meru, where the newly arrived Khoja Ithna-Asheries worked before establishing their own businesses.
In 1893, Dharamsi Khatau called his brother Jivraj Khatau from British India to manage a branch of Dharamsi Khatau & Co in Mombasa.
Together with Jivraj Khatau, he settled substantial endowments for Mosques, Imambadas and Qabrastans.
The German Colonial Handbook Handbook 1908 mentions the firm of "Haji Dharamsi Khatau" as being merchants in Bukoba in 1908. As he is not listed in the earlier versions of 1903 or 1904, it would seem that he moved to Bukoba after 1904.
German Colonial Handbook 1908
Indian Traders Bagamoyo 1908
German Colonial Handbook, page 1 1908
Indian Traders Bukoba 1908
