Gulbanoo Merali Rawji

Children

Life in Pakistan

Fidahussain was the first to bring his family to Karachi in 1948. His wife Banoobai was only 24 years old and already had 4 children, ranging in age from 6 months to 5 years!!

A year after her arrival in Karachi, Banoo was unknowingly pregnant with twins. Fidahussain was in Dhoronaru at the time, and so she went to the hospital accompanied by her aunt, Dhanji Ada's wife, in a horse-driven carriage.

The first child was still-born; the second was a surprise and died 12 hours later.

Banoobai had been transplanted to a country where she knew nobody and did not even speak Urdu. Her husband was hardly by her side as he went frequently to Africa, playing a dynamic role in all his family's affairs.

But with pure grit, courage, and charm this young wife and mother settled in and began to make friends with the wives of the Habib, Gokal and Dawood Nasser families with whom business connections were strong.

These families had also arrived recently in Karachi- --but coming from Bombay, they all knew each other; they came from wealthy and privileged families, had a certain level of formal schooling and shared a common culture and degree of sophistication that was quite alien to Banoo.

Banoo, in comparison, started life as a 'villager'. She was born in a small town, Tabora in Tanganyika into a family of very modest means where all had to work very hard to make ends meet.

In 1948 when she arrived Karachi was still a compact city and beyond the jail, there were only hills. The family stayed in a rented 2-storeyed house on Jamshed Road called 'Gope Villa' near The Gulerana Club where the Habibs and some of the newly arrived families from Bombay also lived. During her early years in Karachi, hers being the only household from the 'home-country', she was always inundated by visiting families from Africa who lived with her, for weeks and even months. Their children came to pursue their studies in Karachi, and she managed to obtain admission for many of them at the Habib Girl's and Boy'sSchool

Her daughter Nurjahan once confessed that she considered herself lucky if she had slept in her own bed for more than 30 days altogether—in a year!

In 1955 Fazal Haji and Rubabai (Fidahussain's eldest sister) came with their families to Karachi after Ziarat and stayed with Banoobai. They all came down with jaundice, and needed to be nursed! Merali Rawji retired in 1960 and also came to stay with Banoobai, his daughter bringing Pyarali's children Aslam and The boys went to live in a hostel, while Ada stayed here till Pyarali arrived with his family in 1964 and rented another house. All families lived in rented homes then except for the one-storeyed house on 2/3 Shahid-e Millat Road where Fidahussain and Banoobai lived after they moved from Gope Villa.

Sheni, Fidahussain's youngest brother, stayed with Banoobai ever since his arrival in Karachi from Dar, and when he married Farida they both stayed with her till the first 2 children were born; after which they moved upstairs, but still continued to live as a single-family.

Looking after all the new arrivals was not her only role! Banoo was called upon to make trousseaux for family weddings in Dar es Salaam. She would go to Bombay for purchases, then carry these to the wedding, and there perform the 'uptam' and other ceremonies as well.

Yet she found time to volunteer at the Khorasan Mosque; and her children remember her attending their school concerts and meetings, making sure they also went to fancy-dress and Christmas parties at the Gymkhana.

Despite this heavy demand on her life Banoo made opportunities to cultivate the ways of this new world. She learnt Urdu, acquired a new wardrobe, styled her hair, learnt ballroom dancing, took up smoking and became a much-loved member of Karachi society and the gymkhana crowd (see cameo).

(Her 2 daughters Nurjahan and Maimuna, both married their first cousins, Hassan Alibhai and Shams Haji respectively. In later years, Nurjahan's 2 daughters married 2 sons of Sheni Haji.)