Nathoo Abji Velji

by Gavar Mohamed Nanji Nathoo, Hertfordshire, UK, January 9, 2012

About 1890, Nathoo Abji Velji left Harmadia in Bharat (India) to come to Zanzibar. The dhow boat stopped over at Tanga to off-load some freight. Coincidentally, Jiwa Mohamed family from the same village in Bharat, had come to the sea-side and managed to persuade Nathoo and his sons to disembark and settle in TANGA. This he did.

Nathoo had 4 sons. Nanji, Bhimji, Walji and Jamal.

All were married and the Nathoos became a prominent business clan in Tanga.

Mohamad was born to Nanji and his wife Panbai in 1904.

Mohamed and his wife Shirin had 3 sons and 5 daughters. Mohamed also brought up his youngest brother Kabir who joined the British Army during the WW2.

Mohamed ran a large tailoring house on Market St and later opened a Sports House called Nathanis in Sachak House.

He had founded the Ismaili Volunteer Corps in Tanga and remained its Captain for 22 years.

He was also the Chairman of the Ismaili Construction Cooperative which undertook the building of the Usagara area for the Ismailis (school, jamat khana, bungalows, flats, etc). The Block Plan of the area was prepared by his son Gavar and this was approved by Hazar Imam and the town planning authorities. So the development was conceived and developed in Gavar's imagination.

While Gavar and sisters were studying in the UK, elder son Anvar (Tommy) emigrated to the USA and younger Sultan went to Canada - both died in their newly adopted countries. Meanwhile Gavar in the UK became a Chartered Accountant, ran a successful practice in London and now lives, retired, in Hertfordshire (UK). He has 2 daughters, one in France and the other in California, USA. Anvar's son Rafiq went to Harvard, did his MBA and works as a Banker in New York.

Gavar's parents had joined him in the UK and both died there.

Bhimji Nathoo also became very rich and he had flour mills, properties, and a spice business. He also brought up an orphan called Ali Miya who later also became a prominent citizen with big businesses. Bhimji had a daughter Mariam (Milly) who married Hussain Jaffer and they had two sons, Gohar and Aziz, who both live in Canada.

Walji and Jamal also went in to business and later the businesses were run by their sons, Mohamed, Akbar and Tajdin respectively who later emigrated to Canada. Akbar's son Mohamed is a pharmacist in Vancouver.