Home History Sindh’s Thattai Bhatias make history in Dubai – II

Sindh’s Thattai Bhatias make history in Dubai – II

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Sindh’s Thattai Bhatias make history in Dubai – II
Uttamchand Tulsidas Bhatia with His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the late Ruler of Dubai.

It was at the turn of the 18th century that Uttamchand Tulsidas Thattai Bhatia’s forefathers first arrived in Sharjah on launches, having migrated from the deserts of Jaisalmer in India’s Rajasthan to Karachi and Nagar Thatta in Sindh.

Sindh Courier Monitoring Desk  

Cherished relationships in high places

The Bhatias’ connections in high places are deep-rooted as is evident from what some prominent Emirati leaders and officials have to say even today.

Sheikh Ahmed: My earliest memories of Uttra go back to when I was eight or 10 years old

A dinner hosted by Uttamchand Bhatia (extreme right) for HH Sheikh Rashid (second from left, seated) at Mumbai
A dinner hosted by Uttamchand Bhatia (extreme right) for HH Sheikh Rashid (second from left, seated) at Mumbai
Image Credit: Bhatia family

In a special message on the occasion of the 100 year milestone of the family, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman – Dubai Airports, chairman and CEO, Emirates Group and President, Dubai Civil Aviation, says, “My earliest memories of Uttra and his family go back to when I was perhaps eight or 10 years old, when I spent time with the family at our farm on some weekends.”

The young Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum with Uttamchand Bhatia
The young Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum with Uttamchand Bhatia
Image Credit: Bhatia family

“Later on, I would meet Deepak and the family during festive occasions and we kept the cordial ties. The Bhatias are friendly, industrious and humble people, who have made many contributions to the community in Dubai. I’m glad to see the family continue to prosper and now into their 4th generation in Dubai,” says Sheikh Ahmed.

Hala Badri: We collectively share an inseparable bond

Hala Badri says the royal family of the emirate and other Emirati families, including hers, have known the Bhatias for four generations.
Hala Badri says the royal family of the emirate and other Emirati families, including hers, have known the Bhatias for four generations.

Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Arts and Culture Authority, said: “The Bhatia family is an embodiment of the foundational values of openness and acceptance that Dubai has always exemplified, even before the formation of the UAE. Uttamchand Bhatia’s contribution to Dubai’s economic and trade landscape is apparent, but this family has played a significant role in the cultural landscape of the emirate.

“The family’s ancestral house in Al Shindagah has stood witness to Dubai’s development and serves as an important piece of history in our present. The royal family of the emirate and other Emirati families, including mine, have known the Bhatias for four generations, and we collectively share this inseparable bond that defines our relationship with them. 100 years is a milestone to be celebrated, and I hope the Bhatia family continues to inspire and make meaningful contributions to the UAE like they always have.”

Mirza Al Sayegh: I hold many sweet memories

Mirza Al Sayegh going down the memory lane with Deepak Bhatia at his residence
Mirza Al Sayegh going down the memory lane with Deepak Bhatia at his residence
Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News

Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of the Office of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, told Gulf News, “When we talk of one family, we talk of a nation. I hold many sweet memories of the early Indian community in Dubai.”

Taking several names, including the “doyen Uttra”, he said, “In the UAE, we don’t regard Indians as foreigners, especially among the elderly. This relationship is one of friendship, neighborhood, trade connections and deep trust. This is still there today.”

He says he takes his grandchildren to the old Baanyaan Souk and recollects how early traders, many of them from India, would trade in pearls worth millions in those narrow lanes and bylanes.

He also speaks of the Al Ahlia School which his father, who learnt English, Farsi and Urdu in Bombay, founded back in time.

“Many of our leaders studied in this school. Some traders from the time also sent their children here.”

Thani Bin Abdullah with HH Sheikh Rashid bin Al Maktoum
Thani Bin Abdullah with HH Sheikh Rashid bin Al Maktoum
Image Credit: Pearls of Dubai (DTCM)

Ali Bujsaim: Uttra was a wise and trustworthy man; he spoke Arabic like the Bedouins

Ali Bujsaim, former deputy director of immigration and celebrated Emirati football referee, also has fond memories of growing up with the family.

“My father was a close friend of Uttra and as a child, I remember going with him and spending time at Uttra’s shop on the way back from Sheikh Rashid’s majlis. We would also buy textiles from him.”

He says he vividly remembered Uttra’s face and demeanor. “He was a wise and trustworthy man. He spoke Arabic like the Bedouins. His accent was distinctly local.”

Talking about his family’s dairy business in Shindagah in the early days, he recalls how the Bhatia family would buy milk from them. “Our house had lots of cows. They would buy milk from us both in the morning and evening.”

He says the interactions between the families were on a daily basis. “We would also join in each other’s celebrations.”

Deepak Bhatia with Ali Bujsaim
Deepak Bhatia with Ali Bujsaim
Image Credit: Bhatia family
Deepak Bhatia with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum at the release of the book Pearls of Dubai in 2009.
Deepak Bhatia with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum at the release of the book Pearls of Dubai in 2009.
Image Credit: Bhatia family

Pearls of Dubai

Back in 2001, when the idea of a book to document their momentous journey was was suggested to the Bhatias, Vijay and Deepak Bhatia characteristically shied away from it. On second thoughts, however, they decided to go ahead with project, but not as an individual family history.

“We wanted to portray the evolution of the Indian presence in Dubai through the personal experiences of not just our family, but also others who had landed here before 1958 – the year that Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum passed on. The attempt was to depict the solid Indo-Arab relations between 1900 and 1958,” says Deepak.

Deepak and Vijay Bhatia with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Deepak and Vijay Bhatia with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Image Credit: Bhatia family

The book was officially launched in February 2009 by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum .

Packed with rare personal pictures and those provided by the early settlers, the book also draws from the archives of DTCM, Dubai Civil Aviation and other entities. They depict rare moments shared with the Royalty as well as the Dubai of yesteryears.

Prominent leaders and other Emiratis feature in the book, each of their observations reflecting the close ties that the Arabs and Indians shared over the years.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Minister of Finance and Deputy Ruler of Dubai, wrote in the Foreward of the book: “We will always remember the pioneering Indian traders who lived in Dubai and forged lasting relationships with our local community. With the population being so much smaller at that time, many close bonds were made that still continue today.”

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Chairman & CEO of Emirates Airlines, also writes: “We in Dubai remember when we were young how the Creek bustled with life as dhows sailed in from India and other countries in Asia and Africa and jostled on the wharfs with pearl-fishing dhows. Our communities also lived closely together around the mouth of the Creek, forging a tight bond that is evident even today. Today, the Indian community still plays a vital role in the economy of Dubai, throughout all our industry and services, and in supplying essential manpower. The people of Dubai value their contribution to the development of our city.”

Other noted Emiratis who reflect on Indo-Arab relations in the book include Nasser Abdullah Hussain Lootah, Essa Saleh Al Gurg, Abdullah Bin Jasim Al Mutairi, Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Ismail Abdulla Al Gargawi and Sharafuddin Al Sayed M.H. Sharaf.

Among the Indian traders who walk down memory lane in the book are Narayandas Narsingdas, Maghanmal Jethanand Pancholia, Mahendra TrivediJaiprakash Valabdas, Deepak M. Palija, Murji Manghnani, Lakho Radhakishndas Lulla, G.B. Choithram Jethwani, Umrao Singh, Vashu Shroff, Kishinchand Naraindas Adnani, Mohan Jashanmal, Narain R. Sawlani, Harish M Bhatia and Ram Buxani.

Bhatia Family Tree
Bhatia Family Tree
Image Credit: Vijith Pullikal/Gulf News

Bhatia household and family values

Away from the demands of his high-profile work life, Uttamchand Bhatia was very much a family man. He and his wife Savitri Devi had three sons – Paramanand, Ashok, Vijay and four daughters – Tara, Chandra, Surya and Sarla – all of whom were raised with down-to-earth values. Friends in high places meant sharing weekends with their families, playing together with peers and enjoying a privileged bonhomie, but the children were taught never to cross the line.

The seven siblings studied in India and came here on visits during their school days. It was only later that they moved to the UAE.

“For a long time, the Bhatias were a joint family with my grandfather’s conservative and no-nonsense outlook setting the tone for us. The children were not allowed to watch movies as he considered them a bad influence. When my father Vijay forayed into film distribution much later, it made my grandfather very upset. But he eventually gave in,” says Deepak, who recalls the shift, following which he would go to the cinema and sit in the box with the family to watch movies.

Uttamchand also believed that his sons should go through the grind of a regular job before they joined his business as it would make them more disciplined.

Paramanand (1936 –2007), the eldest son who first came to Dubai on a sea plane with his mother in 1942, moved to Burami in Al Ain in 1963. He worked in a bank. “He got very close to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, who nicknamed him Pamu. His wife was also close to His Highness’ mother,” says Deepak.

Uttamchand’s second son Ashok (1941 –2013), a graduate from Bombay, who came to Dubai in 1964, also got a job in Abu Dhabi and worked there for five years before joining the family business of textiles. “He died in 2013, leaving behind his wife, three children and five grandchildren. My father Vijay too worked in the same place in Abu Dhabi and then joined my grandfather.”

A cherished picture of the Bhatia cousins from back in the day
A cherished picture of the Bhatia cousins from back in the day
Image Credit: Bhatia family

Deepak also talks about how one of his aunts, Tara, was born on a ship named Ekma when his grandmother was travelling from Karachi to Bombay in 1947. “She is now a widow based in the US and has three children and three grandchildren. The second aunt, Chandra (1949-2017), who also had three children, moved to the US much earlier. She passed away in Dubai and her husband now lives with one of the three children in the US. While Surya was born in 1950, Sarla arrived a year later. Both housewives with two and three children each, they live with their husbands and families now.”

Deepak himself, who is the eldest of Vijay’s three children, unabashedly says, “I was a Daddy’s boy. My two sisters Jyoti and Sandhya were quiet and I was the naughty one. There was nothing that my father would refuse me but I wasn’t spared either if I tried to be unreasonable. A very genial and jolly personality, my father taught me how to mix with people. He would accompany my granddad to the palaces and knew how to conduct himself. Till he died in May 2020, he shared a special friendship with some very prominent Emirati leaders in Dubai.”

Deepak, who did his schooling at the Indian High School, remembers his kindergarten days at the old building opposite Dubai Museum. He went to do his higher studies in India and then was back in Dubai to join his father’s business. “I too did a job away from the business for a few years,” he says.

Married to Anju, a fellow Indian High School student, Deepak has one son, Yash who was born in 1995 and is in the family business too. Holding the key to the family’s future, Yash says carrying his great grandfather’s legacy forward is a huge ask.

“It’s a proud moment to be celebrating 100 years of the family in Dubai. It’s an emotional moment too,” he notes.

Yash Bhatia (right) with his father Deepak Bhatia
Yash Bhatia (right) with his father Deepak Bhatia
Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News

Bhatias and their community reach

While Uttraba may have earned himself the distinction of being one of the most prominent and influential Indian traders, he also commanded respect for the ready help he extended to the community.

As an alumni of the Indian High School, Deepak talks of how his grandfather played a key role in the evolution of the school premises. “Back in the day, he was instrumental in getting an empty house opposite the Dubai Museum to run the first Indian school Bharath Vidyalaya, which was managed by Hemkalaben Bhatia, a teacher from Nagar Thatta. Initially, the school had classes from nursery to Grade 1.

“Even later, when the school went on to become the Indian High School, my grandfather used his good offices to get the current piece of land on which the school stands in Oud Metha from His Highness Sheikh Rashid. My grandfather would tell us how he visited the site – a desert stretch really in the 1960s – along with a Guajarti architect Moda who had been instructed by His Highness to take measurements.

“Construction had to be done in record time – the first building was grey in colour and as kids, we would find the place so huge. A part of the land was a reserved area. That is where India Club is now housed. Again, my grandfather played a role is getting this piece of land earmarked by HH.”

The old Indian High School opposite the Dubai Museum
The old Indian High School opposite the Dubai Museum. Uttamchand played key role in its evolution.
Image Credit: Bhatia family

Temple and other tales

The Bhatia family also has a close association with the Krishna temple in Bur Dubai. “Back in 1936, this place was just a godown for textiles. The space in front was used as a cow shed. A well was also dug to procure water. It was again His Highness Sheikh Rashid who granted a piece of land for the community to pray in 1962. The Thattai Community Centre and a temple were promptly built,” says Deepak.

He also recalls how his grandfather managed to get a tailor open his shop in the middle of the night to create a flag of India from coloured strips of cloth, just so that he could raise it with pride on his house and shop to celebrate India’s independence in 1947. “Of course, he took prior permission to do it,” he adds.

The Bur Dubai temple in 1936
The Bur Dubai temple in 1936
Image Credit: Bhatia family

Although Uttra had studied only ‘four books” or till Grade 4, he was eminently schooled by the lessons of life and valued education for the future generations.

His great grandson son Yash says, “I was always fascinated by the stories that my great grandmother would tell us. She was a woman with a heart of gold.

“Although I did not see my great grandfather Uttra, I keep hearing about his deeds not only from my family members, but also elders in the community (both local and Indian). They talk not only about how successful he was, but also his honesty and trustworthiness. For someone to be remembered for these values even after all these years is a very big thing. It’s a precedent that has set a tall order for the family, something I deeply cherish on our 100th anniversary.”

[Uttamchand Bhatia travelled between Dubai and Bombay frequently. The last trip he made was in May 1986 when he passed away after suffering a massive stroke on his arrival at Bombay airport]

(Concludes) 

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Courtesy: The Wealth Land

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