Karmali Daya Sayany

Children

Badrudin Karmali Sayany 1928–2017

Karmali Sayany was a successful business immigrant to Uganda,from Kathiawar, India.

He was self-taught and placed great emphasis on the power of education for his three children.

After their basic schooling, in a momentous decision, he relocated, with his wife, daughter and two sons, to the Panchgani Hill Station, in India, where Bud was enrolled in St Peter's Boys School and his sister, Serene in the Kimmin High School, both top private boarding schools.

India/United Kingdom

So strong was his commitment to education that as soon as the War was over, in early 1945, the family relocated to Bombay, where his two children were enrolled in the prestigious St. Xavier College, Bombay, while Karmali opened an import/export business.

But within three short years, the upheavals of the Indian Partition created civil chaos in Bombay. One night, there was “XX” crosses marked on their home in the Churchgate area and sensing danger to his family, Karmali forthwith made arrangements for the children to continue their studies in the United Kingdom.

The family migrated to Karachi, part of the sad Hindu/Muslim exoduses in both directions.

But his business did not do well in his adopted homeland. His business was importing plastic cylinders and selling them into Sindh, Baluchistan, and Rajasthan where they were made into ladies' bangles. He also started exporting basmati, (see Hussein Jaffer Bhimji, who did the same business at this time) joshi and kangni rice from Pakistan to East Africa and Mauritius etc. This business was quite lucrative and lasted till 1956 when a catastrophic loss of 10,000 tonnes of rice due to the fall in price resulted in business failure for the Sayanys.