Vali Mohammed Nanji Hooda

Hooda Vali Mohammed Nanji was the son of Nanji Amarsi. Nanji Amarsi passed most of his lifetime in Limadi and also went to live in Pretoria. He died at the age of 73 years on August 28, 1933. His son, Vali Mohammad Nanji Hooda, known as V.N. Hooda was born in Bombay in 1889. He was however a well-educated and a learned scholar, teacher and editor.

He emphasized upon the need of a library to the students of higher classes. Hussain Mukhi Poonja Jasraj and Ghulam Hussain Sidu, two young students, who were ardent juveniles in their teens, started a small library with 20 books at their home and enrolled the membership of the students who left the school after completing the course. V.N. Hooda encouraged them and found what he actually expected from the outgoing students. When the members increased with the collection of books, these two students who managed the affairs, needed a cupboard to be kept in the hall of the school, which he arranged for them.

Meanwhile, Mawji Nur Mohammed Kabani came from Rangoon and joined them. Later on, Jaffer Ali Alibhai Parshotam also joined its managing committee. This library emerged as the Kandi Mola Ismailia Students Library on May 10, 1918 with the President Murad Ali Ghulam Hussain Naginwala. V.N. Hooda continued to serve it till he became its Supervisor on June 17, 1928.

In its annual function organized by Mukhi Laljibhai Devraj (1842-1930) and presided by Mukhi Megji Mulji (1861-1932) on April 28, 1918.

He was a journalist and a writer. He worked in the “Ismaili Aftab,” “Ismaili”, “Ismaili Satpanth Prakash” and “Aina” as an editor.

It will be worthwhile to mention that V.N. Hooda was the first to translate few ginans into English for the research works of Prof. W. Ivanow (1886-1970), who reproduced them in his book, “Collectanea” (Holland, 1948). W. Ivanow writes in his preface that, “With regard to the present volume in particular, its nucleus is formed by translation of a representative collection of specimens of the so far almost completely unknown literature of Satpanth, or Indian Ismailism. For many years I tried to induce my Ismaili friends to do something on such lines, but various attempts usually were abandoned very soon, never attempting fruition, until the task was undertaken by Mr. V.N. Hooda.” W. Ivanow (pp. 2-3) also remarks, “A representative selection of either whole works or extracts has been translated into English by a Khoja specialist, Mr. V.N. Hooda, as published further here. This, through forming only a small portion of the whole Satpanth literature, nevertheless, supplies sufficient materials to permit us to assess its general outlines, and arrive at some conclusions. As far as I know, this is the first occasion on which translations from the original ginan literatures have been published.”

On November, 1954, a Conference of the scholars of all religions held at Sunrabai Hall, Bombay, presided by Pandit Ratan Muni Sushil Kumar. The scholars of Islamic sects, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Shikhism, Arya Samaj, etc. were invited to deliver lectures. Wazir Muhammad Ali G. Fazalbhoy (1916-1981), V.N. Hooda and B.G. Sharif represented the Ismaili community. Morarji Desai, the Chief Minister of Bombay, opened the Conference.

He died on Wednesday, November 18, 1959 at the age of 70 years and left behind two sons.