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Jinnahbhai Poonja
Gujarati businessman & father of Muhammad Ali Jinnah From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jinnahbhai Poonja[a] (c. 1857 – 15 April 1902) was a merchant in British India. He was the founder and chairman of Jinnahbhai & Co. and Graham's Shipping and Trading Company. He is best known for being the father of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
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Early and personal life
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Jinnahbhai Poonja was born in Paneli Moti, a small village in Gondal State (present-day Gujarat), to a Khoja family.[1] Jinnahbhai had two brothers, Valji and Nathoo, and one sister, Manbai.[2] He was born around the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which marked a pivotal moment in subcontinental history by solidifying Crown rule in India.
According to Pakistani historian Aziz Beg, Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated that his ancestor was a Rajput from Sahiwal in Punjab, who migrated to Kathiawar and married into a Khoja family.[3] However, according to Akbar Ahmed, Jinnah's ancestors originated from Iran, with familial Sunni and Ismaili influences.[4]
In 1874, Poonja married Mithibhai, a fellow Khoja from Dhaffa, a nearby village in Kathiawar.[2] The couple eventually had 8 children: Mahomedali, Ahmed Ali, Bunde Ali, Rahmat Bai, Shireen Bai, Maryam Bai Jinnah, Fatima, and Bachu (died in infancy).[5][3]
Poonja taught himself, and became fluent in, English, later teaching his children how to read and write English.[2] He also became fluent in Persian after interactions with Afghan merchants merchants from Kandahar who came to Karachi. Poonja was also fluent in his native Gujarati.[2]
According to Indian author and historian D.N. Panigrahi, Poonja's ancestors, despite their Khoja affiliation, were significantly influenced by Hindu traditions, including pujas such as Chatti. Panigrahi goes on to state that Poonja's father, Poonja Meghji, gave Hindu names to all of his children.[6] However, Jinnahbhai Poonja was a devout Muslim and abandoned these Hindu traditions, raising his children in a more conservative Islamic manner, teaching his children the Quran and giving them all Muslim names.[1]
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Business career
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Most of Paneli Moti were agriculturalists; however, Poonja's family managed handlooms instead. Poonja's brothers worked on the handlooms alongside their father, but this way of life did not attract Poonja, who wanted to become a businessman. Poonja left for Gondal, where he started his business with much success.[2] Poonja entered a partnership with Graham's Shipping and Trading Company, a major merchant company that operated out of Karachi. As a result of this partnership, Poonja moved to Karachi and started Jinnahbhai & Co., his private firm.[7][8][9] Karachi was an optimal place for businessmat the time due to the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, which altered shipping routes to British India toward Karachi rather than Bombay due to the former's closer proximity to Europe.[10] Poonja rented an apartment in the Wazir Mansion as his residence in 1874, later returning to Gujarat in 1900.
Poonja sent his son, Mahomedali, to the United Kingdom after receiving an offer of apprenticeship by Sir Frederick Leigh Croft to work for Graham's Shipping and Trading Company.[11] Mahomedali was also sent to the United Kingdom because there was a legal proceeding against Poonja, which placed the family's property at risk of being sequestered.
Legal issues
By the time Mahomedali went to England, Poonja's wife Mithibai had died. Poonja was in debt to numerous businesses and faced with several legal battles. Poonja described to Mahomedali that "all my dreams have come tumbling down," and he moved his family to Bombay in 1893, where Mahomedali began to take care of his family's expenses instead of Poonja.[12]
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Death
Poonja died on 15 April 1902. Jinnah, now legally renamed to Muhammad Ali, would move to Bombay as a barrister and to support his family.[10] Jinnah would go on to be one of the most notable subcontinental political leaders of the 20th century through his creation of an independent state of Pakistan.[13][14]
See also
Notes
- Gujarati: ઝીણાભાઈ પુંજા; Gujarati pronunciation: [[dʒʱiɳɑbʱəi puɳd͡ʒɑː]]
Persian: جنهبهی پونجا ; Persian pronunciation: [[d͡ʒe.næ.beˈhiː puːnˈd͡ʒɒː]]
References
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