NURBHAI'S
The family originated from Jamkhambhalia a small town on the outskirts of a major port called Jamnagar in the state of Gujeraat in the the north west of India .
The family were Gujeratis of a small muslim sect called the Dawoodi Bohras .
In the 1880's the Germans had a mandate over Tanganyika while the the British were ruling Kenya and Uganda.Due to vast unemployment in the Indian Subcontinent during that time there was alot of migration from India to Africa.
Due to proximity of Jamnagar to the Indian ocean the first immigrants were from the Gujerat state.
My grandfather's name was Nurbhai Mohamadali, him and his brother Abdulkader decided to try their luck in Africa.They used to have a shop and a a big house in Khambhalia but they they decided to expand the opportunities by setting up business in Africa ie Tanganyika.
They opened a shop in a small village near Tanga called Muheza.Muheza was a booming village due to the Sisal estate,sisal was a new crop which was used for making ropes.The price of Sisal in the world market was at its highest.
Nurbhai got married in 1890 to Husanabai from Dar essalaam, Husenabai was born in Daresalaam.
They had 4 children ,two sons and two daughters,Abdulhusein,Abdeali,Sugra,Amina.
Sugrafaiji got married into Dossaji family and had six daughters and a son called Amir who lives on Bangalore India.The daughters were Shirin,Niyarun,Fatima,Bilkis,Khatija,Bilkis died last year in Mombasa.
Husenabai had two sisters and two brothers called Mariammasi(married to Taibali Khanbhai),Rehmummasi,Hasanmama(his son Shabbir in Brighton),Abbasmama(used to be in Ruvu).
Abdulkader got married to Fazel Khambhalia's mum before she got married into Khanbhalia's after Abdulkader's death.
Abdulhusein(my dad) and Abdeali kept on looking after the shop in Muheza until the 1940's.
My dad got married in 1942 with Fatembai from Adamji family in Daressalaam.
After he got married he set up his own shop in another village called Kihuhwi another Sisal estate.
They also set up a house in Street number 9 in Ngamiani in Tanga.(all the first five were born there,Abbas was born in Street number 6.
Fatembai had 5 brothers and three sisters called Yusuf,Fidahusein,Amir,Hatim,Sajad,Batul,Safia,Zaitun, out of them only Hatim and Sajad are alive.
Abdulhusein and Fatembai had six children named Rozmin,Nurbhai,Rehana,Mustaali,Joher and Abbas.
Abdulhusein died in 1972 at an age of 58 with a heart failure after a prolonged illness due to a fall
Fatembai died in November 1995 in Tanga.
Rozmin got married in 1965 to Fazal Mamujee and has two boys and a girl called Masuma,Akil and Murtaza.Masuma has two son's called Husein and Ebrahim.Akil has two sons called Alihussein and Hatim.
Nurbhai has a son and Daughter called Nazima and Nabil.
Rehana has two sons called Ali and Abid.
Mustaali has two sons called Husein and Adam.
Joher has no children
Abbas got married to Umesalma in 24th of June 1985 in Tanga and has three children called Zainab,Yusuf and Farida.
Ume comes from Saifuddin Kokotoni's family and Ume's mum is Sakina who is sister of Abdallah and Esmael Mamujee of Tanga.
ABBAS'S HISTORY :-
Abbas was born on 19th August 1955 in Tanga Tanzania.
He went to Taibali Sachak Primary school from 1961 to 1968.
For the Secondary education ,he passed his Standard 7 exam and went to Usagara Secondary school.
For 'A' levels he was chosen to go to Mazengo Secondary school in Dodoma (the town noted for the famous mental hospital).
In 1975 Abbas got a scholarship to study in United Kingdom to read Electronic and Electrical Engineering qualifying with an honours degree in 1979.
His first job was at Standard Telephone and Cables in Basildon Essex as an graduate engineer and worked for 4 years and left the company as a senior engineer to join Mercury Communication.
He worked there for 3 years and then left to go to Small Systems Engineering which later came into a succesful company called National Telecoms after that National Telecoms was bought by one of the leading telephone company called Alcatel Telecom.
After working for them for 13 years he left in the year 1997 to join an American company called Westell aleading player in the future telecom technologies.
Now he is leading the Westell's engineering team in UK developing the future broadband telecom technologies like the XDSL /ATM.
Abbas's brother Mustaali settled in Manchester and has his own accountancy practice providing his services to alot of immigrant community in Manchester.
He is married with two children Husain and Adam, his wife is Nafisa who hails from the Shipping family of Tanga.