Versi Advani Family - Revision history

Mohamedali: /* Brief Profile */

2020-12-23T11:56:34Z

‎Brief Profile

Mohamedali: /* Brief Profile */

2020-12-23T11:56:00Z

‎Brief Profile

Mohamedali: /* Life Journey */

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‎Life Journey

Mohamedali: /* His Family & Business */

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‎His Family & Business

Mohamedali: /* Marhum Saleh Versi */

2020-12-23T11:54:46Z

‎Marhum Saleh Versi

Mohamedali: /* Marhum Mohamdhussein */

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‎Marhum Mohamdhussein

Mohamedali: /* Marhum Mohamdhussein */

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‎Marhum Mohamdhussein

Mohamedali: /* Marhum Mohamdhussein */

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‎Marhum Mohamdhussein

Mohamedali: /* Marhum Saleh Versi */

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‎Marhum Saleh Versi

Mohamedali at 08:05, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T08:05:47Z

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 In 1835, Versi Advani migrated to Zanzibar from Bhuj, Gujarat, India with his three brothers: Khalfan, Abdulrasul and Gulamhussein. The other two brothers Mohamed and Khatau migrated later on. It is thought that Versi Advani was probably a Sindhi Khoja who may have intermarried with Khoja of Cutchi and Kathiawari origin.  He was among the first converts to Shia Ithnaasheri faith, others being [[Dewji Jamal]], Mohamed Walji, Lakha Kanji, Mohamed Lakha, Janmohamed Rawji, Nasser Lilani and Saleh Sachedina. He was among the 12 pioneers of Kuwwat Jamaat of Khoja Shia Ithnaasheris of Zanzibar.  His name appears among the signatories of the Kuwwat Mosque Waqf Registration of 1881, stored at Zanzibar Archives.
-During the crisis in Kilwa around the 1910s when the Jamaat refused rituals like majlis to be conducted at home, a permission was required to be obtained from the Waras in Zanzibar. Versi Advani together with Haji Peera Walli, Nasser Lilani and Lakha Kanji resolved this issue by requesting the Waras to write a letter giving permission for majlis to be recited at home. It is also reported that Versi Advani and Sachoo Peera were among the few people in Dar es Salaam who were allowed to hoist German flag at their houses. Versi Advani is also reported to have formed a friendship with Sachoo Peera and Nasser Mawji. The trio gave lots of services in religious and social fields in Dar es Salaam. Versi and Nasser helped Sachoo Peera in construction of the first mosque for Dar es Salaam Jamaat in 1907. It is also reported that the old Imambara in Dar es Salaam was constructed mainly by the efforts of Versi Advani.
+During the crisis in Kilwa around the 1910s when the Jamaat refused rituals like majlis to be conducted at home, a permission was required to be obtained from the Waras in Zanzibar. Versi Advani together with Haji Peera Walli, Nasser Lilani and Lakha Kanji resolved this issue by requesting the Waras to write a letter giving permission for majlis to be recited at home. It is also reported that Versi Advani and Sachoo Peera were among the few people in Dar es Salaam who were allowed to hoist German flag at their houses. Versi Advani is also reported to have formed a friendship with Sachoo Peera and Nasser Mawji. The trio gave lots of services in religious and social fields in Dar es Salaam. Versi and Nasser helped Sachoo Peera in construction of the first mosque for [[Dar es Salaam]] Jamaat in 1907. It is also reported that the old Imambara in Dar es Salaam was constructed mainly by the efforts of Versi Advani.
 ==GULAMHUSSEIN VERSI==

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 ==Brief Profile==
-In 1835, Versi Advani migrated to Zanzibar from Bhuj, Gujarat, India with his three brothers: Khalfan, Abdulrasul and Gulamhussein. The other two brothers Mohamed and Khatau migrated later on.
+In 1835, Versi Advani migrated to Zanzibar from Bhuj, Gujarat, India with his three brothers: Khalfan, Abdulrasul and Gulamhussein. The other two brothers Mohamed and Khatau migrated later on. It is thought that Versi Advani was probably a Sindhi Khoja who may have intermarried with Khoja of Cutchi and Kathiawari origin.  He was among the first converts to Shia Ithnaasheri faith, others being [[Dewji Jamal]], Mohamed Walji, Lakha Kanji, Mohamed Lakha, Janmohamed Rawji, Nasser Lilani and Saleh Sachedina. He was among the 12 pioneers of Kuwwat Jamaat of Khoja Shia Ithnaasheris of Zanzibar.  His name appears among the signatories of the Kuwwat Mosque Waqf Registration of 1881, stored at Zanzibar Archives.
 ==GULAMHUSSEIN VERSI==

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 ===Life Journey===
-Suleman Versi was a very rich merchant. The family had crockery made by Royal Doulton of Britain with the inscription “Made for the family of Suleman Versi” written underneath the ceramic bowls and plates. It is believed he had uniformed waiters serving each guest at the huge dining table at his home. Also, every morning he was presented a silver tray with a choice of dresses to wear.
+Suleman Versi was a very rich merchant. The family had crockery made by Royal Doulton of Britain with the inscription “Made for the family of Suleman Versi” written underneath the ceramic bowls and plates. It is believed he had uniformed waiters serving each guest at the huge dining table at his home. Also, every morning he was presented a silver tray with a choice of dresses to wear. It is further believed that Suleman Versi lost a big shipment at sea causing him a great loss. Once while in Mumbai he could not look after his horse and carriage and got it run over the cliff.
 ===Community Service===

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 ===His Family & Business===
-Apart from Zanzibar, Suleman Versi also had business in Lindi. The German Colonial Handbook 1908 mentions "Suleman Versi & Co." as an Indian firm, resident in Lindi in 1908. It is believed that this business was a shop run by the third wife of Suleman Versi, Jetbai (Zaitunbai) Mohamed Sajan who lived with her three young children Abdulrasul, Raza and Saleh. Jetbai also had two daughters: Sherbanu Mohamedraza Rashid Nathani and Zainab Mohamedali Ali Nathoo.
+Apart from Zanzibar, Suleman Versi also had business in Lindi. The German Colonial Handbook 1908 mentions "Suleman Versi & Co." as an Indian firm, resident in Lindi in 1908. It is believed that this business was a shop run by the third wife of Suleman Versi, Jetbai (Zaitunbai) Mohamed Sajan who lived with her three young children Abdulrasul, Raza and Saleh. Jetbai also had two daughters: Sherbanu Mohamedraza Rashid Nathani and Zainab Mohamedali Ali Nathoo. Suleman’s first wife was Maryam Mithani, mother of Kassamali, Mohamedali, Sakina Mohamedrafiq Abdulla Kanji and Rehmat Ali Sachoo. His second wife Sakina Remtulla Kanji had one daughter: Fatma Esmail Hasham Alloo.
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 ===SONS OF SULEMAN VERSI===

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 Marhum Saleh Versi was Zanzibar Manager of TOM (Dutch Trading Co). After retiring in 1951 he ventured into the sisal business at Lindi. Meanwhile TOM also opened their branch in Lindi. They purchased a building owned by Saleh bhai and turned it into their office and warehouse. Alhaj Husseinali Manekia (Motabha) of Orlando recollects that as a 16-year-old in 1948 he travelled to Lindi from his home town of Kilwa to look for a job. Salehbhai saw him at Fajr Namaz and got him a job the same day at TOM under the supervision of the Manager of Merchandise Dept,  Mohamedhussein Pirmohamed (Bhoro Bhim).
-The company of M Suleman Versi had branches in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Lindi and Songea. Salehbhai had purchased two sisal plantations - one at Mkoe and one at Rushungi - about 42 miles from Lindi. Sisal business was at its peak those days. Salehbhai was an excellent businessman and a very busy person. He was smartly dressed, many times with a tie, and a very humble person. He travelled a lot. During flights, he carried his typewriter - a laptop of those days! As a student in Iringa, I remember once having written him a letter and the reply was, to my amazement, typed in an aerogramme with a business letterhead! I did not expect to be treated like a businessman as my letter was just a simple letter to a grand uncle. The sisal plantations owned by Marhum Saleh Versi flourished and the plantations had their own sea port called Rushungi through which sisal was shipped out for export overseas. Some sisal was being transported from Mkoe to Lindi port through Fazal Ladha Dinani transporters. During his stay in Lindi Salehbhai was able to own several properties which include the Tanesco House (glass house) and U-shaped building opposite the post office.
+The company of M Suleman Versi had branches in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Lindi and Songea. Salehbhai had purchased two sisal plantations - one at Mkoe and one at Rushungi - about 42 miles from Lindi. Sisal business was at its peak those days. Salehbhai was an excellent businessman and a very busy person. He was smartly dressed, many times with a tie, and a very humble person. He travelled a lot. During flights, he carried his typewriter - a laptop of those days! As a student in Iringa, I remember once having written him a letter and the reply was, to my amazement, typed in an aerogramme with a business letterhead! I did not expect to be treated like a businessman as my letter was just a simple letter to a grand uncle. The sisal plantations owned by Marhum Saleh Versi flourished and the plantations had their own sea port called Rushungi through which sisal was shipped out for export overseas. Some sisal was being transported from Mkoe to Lindi port through Fazal Ladha Dinani transporters. During his stay in Lindi Salehbhai was able to own several properties which include the Tanesco House (glass house) and U-shaped building opposite the post office. During my school holidays in August 1968, I accompanied Marhum Saleh and his son Aunali to Mkoe sisal farm for 3 days. I was amazed to see a colonial mansion in a jungle. I was more amazed to see that during breakfast there would be a smartly dressed cook bringing in different kinds of fruits, forks and knives and spread table mats. I had never known of such breakfast before. Felt a bit of ‘mshamba’. His son, Aunali Versi (now in Orlando), had taught me driving in Lindi. This must be done at 6 a.m. as per his wishes. During our Sisal farm trip, he gave me his Land Rover to practise driving at Mkoe beach, showed me the hippo population at Lake Mkoe, the sisal factory and a workshop. Aunali was a top cricket player in Lindi representing his school for matches in Dar es Salaam.
 ====Marhum Kassamli Suleman Versi====

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 ======Marhum Mohamdhussein======
-Marhum Mohamedhussein - or Hussein Sinclair - is my maternal grandfather. He served the Kuwwat Jamaat as Hon Secretary. He worked at lawyer R P Patel and another one called Sinclair hence his nickname. As a child, I would read his letters and admire his powerful English and Gujarati. My mom had trained me to write letters to the elders, so I wrote to him occasionally and once even to my great grandmother Mabibi - Fatma daughter of Jaffer Hameer.
+Marhum Mohamedhussein - or Hussein Sinclair - is my maternal grandfather. He served the Kuwwat Jamaat as Hon Secretary. He worked at lawyer R P Patel and another one called Sinclair hence his nickname. As a child, I would read his letters and admire his powerful English and Gujarati. My mom had trained me to write letters to the elders, so I wrote to him occasionally and once even to my great grandmother Mabibi - Fatma daughter of Jaffer Hameer. Marhum Mohamedhussein had 9 sons and two daughters. He was a very devout person with very limited means. One of the characteristics of his family was that all his sons wore coats and caps when they went to mosque. My maternal uncle Maulana [http://khojapedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Sheikh_Gulamabbas_M._K._S._Versi '''Sheikh Gulamabbas Versi'''] once mentioned that the reason for them being given nickname “Pinji” was that a classmate once took away his cap and while demanding it back he mentioned that it was an expensive one and was bought at Pinji shillings - Twenty five shillings, hence the nickname “Pinji”. During my school vacations in Zanzibar, Marhum Gulamabbas would make me sit in his small electricity repair shop and teach me some skills and take me on long rides on his bicycle. At home I would sit next to his big spool tape recorder observing him starting and stopping the recorder frequently, writing down, word to word, in Gujarati script, the Urdu majlis of Turabi and Rizvi. In 1959, Maulana Gulamabbas was one of the first Khoja students from Zanzibar to go for Aalim training to Karachi and Sargodha in Pakistan and Najaf in Iraq. Upon return he became resident aalim serving Lindi, Tunduru, and Mikindani/Mtwara Jamaat.
-Marhum Mohamedhussein had 9 sons and two daughters. He was a very devout person with very limited means. One of the characteristics of his family was that all his sons wore coats and caps when they went to mosque. My maternal uncle Maulana [http://khojapedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Sheikh_Gulamabbas_M._K._S._Versi '''Sheikh Gulamabbas Versi'''] once mentioned that the reason for them being given nickname “Pinji” was that a classmate once took away his cap and while demanding it back he mentioned that it was an expensive one and was bought at Pinji shillings - Twenty five shillings, hence the nickname “Pinji”. During my school vacations in Zanzibar, Marhum Gulamabbas would make me sit in his small electricity repair shop and teach me some skills and take me on long rides on his bicycle. At home I would sit next to his big spool tape recorder observing him starting and stopping the recorder frequently, writing down, word to word, in Gujarati script, the Urdu majlis of Turabi and Rizvi. In 1959, Maulana Gulamabbas was one of the first Khoja students from Zanzibar to go for Aalim training to Karachi and Sargodha in Pakistan and Najaf in Iraq. Upon return he became resident aalim serving Lindi, Tunduru, and Mikindani/Mtwara Jamaat.
+Maulana Gulamabbas’s brother Mulla Hassan Versi left Zanzibar after 1964 to move to Lindi. Mulla Hassan Versi was Zakire Hussein, and very active in Lindi and Mikindani Jamaats reciting Duas and Majlis. His son Hussein and his three grandsons Imran, Hassan and Maisam all recite majlis in Dar es Salaam. Another brother Mulla Roshanali Versi was a resident aalim in Madagascar for many years before moving to Leicester where he served as a resident aalim too. Out of the 11 siblings only two are living: Mulla Roshanali Versi and Br Ali Versi, both in Birmingham. Among more than 1070 descendants of the Versi Advani family there are Zakirs, philanthropists, servants to humanity and community, businessmen, professionals and sportsmen who are spread out all over the globe.
 * We pray to Allah (SWT) by His grace and mercy to grant Marhumeen of the Versi Advani family maghferat and heavenly abode in the proximity of Ahlulbayt (A.S.), Please remember them all with Sura-e-Fateha. May Allah reward all the servants of the community and humanity. Ameen.

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:53, 23 December 2020
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	'''Sources:''' Zanzibar Reflections (Abdulrazak Fazal), Dar Jamaat 1967 Annual Report, Trade Directory AF 1960 ([[Popat Rawji]]) (Citation to Sheriff Jiwa Surti), [[Nurmohamed Manekia]] 1914 (Kilwa na Sawal Jawab), Hassan A M Jaffer (Endangered Species), Khojawiki, Sajjad Versi (Australia), Bashir Versi (Toronto), Kurban Versi (Toronto), Mohamed A Versi (Dar), Aunali Versi (Orlando).		'''Sources:''' Zanzibar Reflections (Abdulrazak Fazal), Dar Jamaat 1967 Annual Report, Trade Directory AF 1960 ([[Popat Rawji]]) (Citation to Sheriff Jiwa Surti), [[Nurmohamed Manekia]] 1914 (Kilwa na Sawal Jawab), Hassan A M Jaffer (Endangered Species), Khojawiki, Sajjad Versi (Australia), Bashir Versi (Toronto), Kurban Versi (Toronto), Mohamed A Versi (Dar), Aunali Versi (Orlando).
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	'''SECRETARIAT'''		'''SECRETARIAT'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:05, 24 July 2020
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	'''Prepared by:''' Mustafa Pirmohamed		'''Prepared by:''' Mustafa Pirmohamed

−	'''Sources:''' Zanzibar Reflections (Abdulrazak Fazal), Dar Jamaat 1967 Annual Report, Trade Directory AF 1960 (Popat Rawji) (Citation to Sheriff Jiwa Surti), Nurmohamed Manekia 1914 (Kilwa na Sawal Jawab), Hassan A M Jaffer (Endangered Species), Khojawiki, Sajjad Versi (Australia), Bashir Versi (Toronto), Kurban Versi (Toronto), Mohamed A Versi (Dar), Aunali Versi (Orlando).	+	'''Sources:''' Zanzibar Reflections (Abdulrazak Fazal), Dar Jamaat 1967 Annual Report, Trade Directory AF 1960 ([[Popat Rawji]]) (Citation to Sheriff Jiwa Surti), [[Nurmohamed Manekia]] 1914 (Kilwa na Sawal Jawab), Hassan A M Jaffer (Endangered Species), Khojawiki, Sajjad Versi (Australia), Bashir Versi (Toronto), Kurban Versi (Toronto), Mohamed A Versi (Dar), Aunali Versi (Orlando).