Cutchi Memon Digest February 2015

feet; however, other major railway lines, roads,
bridges, culverts, etc. were not affected.

January 26, 2001

The tremor on January 26th, 2001 started at 8.46
am. The initial displacement of the ground was felt
in a northerly direction with a sound resembling to
that of heavy furniture being pulled over a rough
surface. The tremor was felt physically for about a
100 seconds and recorded by Digital Broadband
Seismograph of India Meteorological Department
for about 500 seconds. During the 100 seconds
period the intensity of the tremor and the
accompanying rumbling noise gradually
diminished and suddenly increased at least three
times. More jerks were felt in a N-S direction than
in a E-W direction. The plinth of the nearest
building was observed to be oscillating through a
distance of about 20 cm. This is evident from the
fact that almost all items in cupboards along the -

50

EW wall fell down while those in cupboards along
the N-S wall were found less affected. A deathly

Bhuj Before the Earthquake of 2001

silence was felt just after the tremor stopped. Dust
rose in the atmosphere reducing the visibility to
less than 1 km. All the lanes in the central part of
Bhuj were full of rubble and debris at an average
one metre high. There was no access to houses in
that area except to climb and walk over the debris.
The complete infrastructure of the region like
electric power, water supply, medical facility,
telecommunication, rail and road transport, etc.

51

was disrupted. The earth felt as if it was floating
for the next few days. Landing and take off sounds

Bhuj Palace damaged in 2001Earthquake

52

of the aeroplanes from the airport 8 km away
severely echoed through the entire Bhuj town for
the next one month. The people of the region
suffered various difficulties. The first two nights
were horrible. Complete darkness, cold weather
and frequent tremors did not allow the people to
sleep. There was no water supply for the next four
days. The suffering of those who lost their shelters
is indescribable. Because of wide spread damage
and disruption of rail and road links, it took a
considerable time for relief to reach the region.

53

Old and poorly-built buildings completely
collapsed in Bhuj, Bhachau, Anjar, Gandhidham
and Rapar towns and in several villages of Kutch
district. The maximum percentage of damage was
in and around Bhachau followed by Anjar,
Gandhidham, Bhuj and Rapar. Almost all
multistoreyed buildings (4 or more floors) suffered
heavy damage. They were thrown out of plumb
and their panel walls thrown out of their frame
structure. Some of them completely collapsed. In
some cases, one or two of the lowest floors

54

An aerial view of the devastation of Anjar,2001

plunged into the ground. More damage was
observed in the newly built, 2–3 years old, multi-
storey buildings as compared to the 5–10
years old ones. More damage was observed in the
ground floor structure as compared to the upper
floors. Constructions which were heavier on top
rather than their base and those which were
supported on one side like balconies extruding
out of buildings, and even staircases, could not
bear the shock and broke down. Well-built one or

55

two storied buildings suffered only minor
damages mainlywith cracks in the plaster.

There were frequent tremors of magnitude up to
5.0 on the Richter scale for about a month and up
to a magnitude of 3.0 continue for a longer
period. For the first week people did not dare
enter the damaged buildings and the walled Bhuj
city except to save lives or to retrieve dead bodies.
People were forced to save and retrieve their
property even after one week as there was no
significant reduction in the frequency of
aftershocks.

The city was restored in less than 5 years‘ time to
provide accommodation to the people affected by
the calamity.

56

The New City of Bhuj

New Bhuj City Centre

57

Our Leaders

Mahboob-e-Millath
Jb. Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait
Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait was born on 3 November
1922 into a family of Mysore Cutchi Memons
settled in Bangalore, as the son of Mohammed
Sulaiman Sait and Zainab Bai. His mother was from
Thalasseri (Tellichery) in Kerala. He completed his
primary education in the Brennen High School and
Madrassa Yusufiya in Tellicherry as he had stayed

58

back with his uncle Tahir Mahmood Moosa. He
could not complete his studies at St. Alocious High
School in Mangalore owing to his father's sudden
death in 1937. He then shifted to St. Joseph High
School and St. Joseph College in Bangalore. After
graduating in economics and history, he started
teaching in 1943 at Robert Sunpett Government
College in Kolar and Marai Melappe Government
College in Mysore. He resigned from his teaching
post when the establishment prevented
government servants from indulging in politics.

He was active in social, educational and cultural
fields right from his school and college days. He
was a founder member of the Anjuman-e-Islahul
Lisan, Talasserry, an organization founded for the
propagation of Urdu. He was also an active
member of the Muslim Students Federation and
was elected Assistant Secret-ary of the St. Joseph's
College Union and of Urdu Literary Society. He won

59

the prestigious All Karnataka Elocution Comp-
etition in Oratory in English in 1942 as well as
Urdu Oratory Competitions conducted by Cutchi
Memon Union, Bengaluru
He married Maryam Bai alias Yasmeen, daughter of
Mohamed Abdul Latheef Sait of Mattancheri, Kochi
on August 8, 1949. The family migrated to Cochin

60

in 1952. They had five children Khaild, Azra,zzz
Razia, Tasneem and Siraj.

Sulaiman Sait had the privilege to share the stage
with All India Muslim League's all time great
leaders like Qaed-e-Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah,
Liaqat Ali Khan and Fazlul-Haq, in the 1941
conference held at Madras. He was just 19 years
old then. He announced his entry into politics
through a speech he gave in the Malabar district
conference of Muslim Students Federation. One of
the greatest Muslim League leaders in Kerala, late
K. M. Seethi Sahib, was his mentor and his political
guru. Qaed-e-Millat Ismail Sahib was another
great mentor and source of inspiration for him. So
was Haji Abdul Sathar Sait. In 1943 he presided
over the Malabar Muslim Students Federation
Conference when his speech in English was
translated to Malayalam by Seethi Saheb!

61

At 22, in 1944 he became the President of the
Beedi Labour Union of Mysore, in which position
he continued upto 1948, and General Secretary
of Mysore City Muslim League from 1945 to 1952.
He was Chief Adviser to the Muslim Students
Federation, Mysore during 1946-50. In 1953 he
was elected President, Ernakulam District Muslim
League. He participated in the Liberation
Movement (Vimochana Samaram) against the
Communist Government in Kerala and courted
arrest in 1959 along with Mammen Chacko
Shankan and Bafakyh Thangal.

In 1960 he was elected General Secretary of Kerala
State Muslim League and later its Vice President.
After the demise of K.M. Seethi Saheb in 1961 he
was elected as the General Secretary of Indian
Union Muslim League. On the demise of Bafakeyh
Tangal in 1973 he was elected President of the
Party there to hold office continuously for 20

62

years, when he resigned on account of a difference
of a serious nature. Following the tragic incidents
connected with the demolition of Babri Masjid,
Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait ran into a serious conflict
with the Indian Union Muslim League. He strongly
felt that IUML should dissociate itself from
Congress, whose leaders were passive witnesses
to the demolition and the atrocities that followed.
He was victimised and removed from the party
membership. In April 1994, he formed the Indian
National League. Since then, for nearly a decade,
he painstakingly led the party forward, despite his
old age and shortage of monetary resources and
manpower.

Other comunity leadership positions held by him
were:

* President, Madrasuthul Mujahideen Oriental

School, Kochi

63

* General Secretary, Kerala Muslim Education
Association (1959)
* President, Cutchi Memon Association, Kochi,
(1959-63)
* President, Iqbal Library, Kochi, 1962-72

His first entry into the Indian Parliament was as a
Rajya Sabha Member representing the Indian
Union Muslim League in 1960 for a six year term
ending 1966. He was elected to Loksabha
continually for 30 years from 1967 to 1996.
During the long 35 years he served on various
Parliamentary Committees as under:

 National Integration Council Estimates

Committee

 Standing Committee on External Affairs

 Consultative Committee on Home Affairs

 Consultative Committee on Transport and

Shipping

64

 Consultative Committee on Tourism and
Aviation

 Select Committee on Plantation and Labour
 Select Committee on Criminal Procedure

Code
 Central Haj Advisary Committee
 Central Waqf Council
 Bombay Haj Committee
 Aligarh Muslim University Court
He was Member, Kerala State Waqf Board for 20
years and its Chair for 10 years.

Cutchi Memons of Kochi will ever gratefully
remember him for his hard work for the
resusciation of the Cutchi Memon Jamath
Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait was one of the most noted
and acclaimed parliamentarians the democratic
India had ever seen. He had been in Parliament for
long 35 years representing different
constituencies in Kerala: Manjeri, Ponnani and

65

Kozhikode. He was closely known to all prime
ministers of India right from Pandit Jawarharlal
Nehru. But he was never willing to exploit his fame
and influence for personal gains. Nor was he
nepotistic. Despite giving good education to his
children, he never bothered about finding them
good posts. When our political leaders
synonymised politics with nepotism, he stood at
the opposite pole. He used to refuse gifts when it
was meant to win favour.. According to his
confidant late C.A. Majeed, he was the only
member of Parliament who would either cycle his
way to the Parliament or walk long distances firmly
refusing to accept any offer of transportation by
an automobile.

He was too honest to be a politician," analysts
often said about him. He was innocent like a child,
and that innocence caused him to be cheated by
even those whom he trusted most. He was an

66

Right to Left: Abdullah Sulaiman (Brother), Fathima
Bai (Mother-in-Law), Razia (Daughter), Mariam Bai
(Wife), Azra (Daughter), Zainab Bai (Mother), Sait
Saheb, Sulaiman Khalid (Son)

With
Indira Gandhi

67

With Zakir Hussain

With Anna Durai
angry young man even in his 80s whenever it
came to the issue of injustice towards the
minority. He enjoyed unending energy inside. But
he didn't know how to "play" politics: for him,
politics was not a game, but a very wise and
serious thing to engage in. He never tried to hide
his emotions whether in parliament or in a riot
zone. His emotions were always for the noble
causes. His empathy was for the suffering of his
beloved community. Wherever there was a riot,

68

whether in Jabalpur (1962) or Maradu (2002), he
didn‘t delay his visits to the victims; he minced no
words in arguing for justice for the thousands of
victims. An oft quoted incident in his political life
exemplifies this aspect. It was during the
Emergency period, when a number of Indian Union
Muslim League (IUML) activists were arrested for
defying the Emergency. He ran upto Prime Minister
India Gandhi and asked her to have him arrested.
He told her "You‘ve arrested my party members
and let me free. This is not fair,- I want to get
arrested. I am against the Emergency and
compulsory sterilization." Indira andhi knew the
power this man had inside. him. The detainees
were released in 48 hours.

His love for the community was phenomenal.
Sometimes he literally broke into tears in front of
huge gatherings while speaking about the poor
and helpless victims of the riots in north India.

69

When he stood on the dais with uncontrollable
streams of tears on his cheeks, many of his
followers also used to cry. He was a living legend
in his own lifetime.

He was an ardent admirer of Allama Mohammed
Iqbal's poetry. He was perhaps the only Muslim
leader in India who could meet and spend time
with many internationally renowned Muslim
leaders like Muhammed Ali Jinnah, Syed Maududi,
King Faisal, Imam Khomeini, Yasser Arafat and
many others. He spoke in several Islamic
conferences held in various parts of the world
representing the Muslims of India. Some of the
important Conferences attended by him were:
Minority Conference (London), All World Religious
Conference (Chicago), Conference of Rebita Alam
Al Islami (Mecca), Al Aqsa Conference (Jordan) and
Qir'at Competition (Kulalampur). He visited Saudi
Arabia, Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates,

70

Baharain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and Syria on the
invitation of the respective rulers. He was a
member of the Parliamentary Delegation to France,
Switzerland, Germany, Afghanistan, Iran and
Turkey. In USA he had visited New ork,
Washington, Los Angeles and California.

Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait was blessed to have perfor-
med the Holy Hajj eight times once as guest of
King Khalid, four times guest of Rabitatul Alamul
Islam. He performed Umra four times.

He was one of the founding fathers of All India
Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat He was its Secretary
for a period. He was the founding general
secretary of the All India Palestine Conference. He
co-founded the All India Muslim Personal Law
Board, which was formed in 1972 to protect the
Muslim law in India. Similarly he was the first
president of the All India Milli Council, which was

71

formed in May 1992. Babri Masjid Movement Co-
ordination Committee was also co-founded by
him. Besides, he was a constant member of many
organisations like the Central Hajj Committee, Hajj
Advisory Council, Aligarh Muslim University Court
etc. He was also a member of the National
Integration Council and Central Waqf Council.

Despite the political differences which led to the
formation of a dissident party, Ebrahim Sulaiman
Sait was held in high esteem by everyone in
politics and otherwise : he never ever had a foe!
Such a person we call an AJATHASHATRU!!
Cutchi Memons as a whole are proud of such a son
of the soil, rightly a saint and a legend.

He died on 27th April 2005, in a private hospital in

Bangalore, after a brief illness. He was 83. May

Allah be pleased with him and grant him his well

deserved place beside His Rasool (SAW).

72

Sighting the Crescent Moon

Crescent Moon Visibility and the Islamic Calendar

The Islamic calendar is based on lunar months,
which begin when the thin crescent Moon is
actually sighted in the western sky after sunset
within a day or so after New Moon.

73

The ancient Hebrew calendar was also based on
actual lunar crescent sightings, although the
modern Hebrew calendar is calculated. The 12
months of the Islamic calendar are: Muharram,
Safar, Rabi'a I, Rabi'a II, Jumada I, Jumada II, Rajab,
Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, DhulQ'adah, DhulHaj.
Since 12 lunar months are, on average, 11 days
shorter than the (Gregorian) civil year, the Islamic
year shifts earlier in each civil year by about this
period. The count of years for the Islamic calendar
begins in 622 CE; specifically, 1 Muharram 1 AH
corresponds to 16 July 622 CE (Julian calendar).

A tabular Islamic calendar has been established
by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in which the
lengths of the months alternate between 29, 29
and 30 days. This calendar consists of a 30-year
cycle in which 11 of the 30 years are leap years.

The Islamic dates, traditionally, begin at sunset
on the previous evening and end at sunset on the

74

succeeding day. These dates may or may not
correspond to the evenings on which the crescent
Moon is first visible, and it is generally conceived
that it is the visibility of the crescent Moon that
determines when the religious observance
begins. The Moon's visibility at these times varies
with location; generally, the visibility increases to
the west, and locations in the tropics are favored
over those in middle or high latitudes.

The visibility of the lunar crescent as a function of
the Moon's "age" - the time counted from New
Moon - is obviously of great importance to
Muslims. The date and time of each New Moon can
be computed exactly, but the time that the Moon
first becomes visible after the New Moon depends
on many factors and cannot be predicted with
certainty. In the first two days after New Moon, the
young crescent Moon appears very low in the
western sky after sunset, and must be viewed

75

through bright twilight. It sets shortly after sunset.
The sighting of the lunar crescent within one day
of New Moon is usually difficult. The crescent at
this time is quite thin, has a low surface
brightness, and can easily be lost in the twilight.
Generally, the lunar crescent will become visible to
suitably-located, experienced observers with good
sky conditions about one day after New Moon.
However, the time that the crescent actually
becomes visible varies quite a bit from one month
to another. The record for an early sighting of a
lunar crescent, with a telescope, is 12.1 hours
after New Moon; for naked-eye sightings, the
record is 15.5 hours from New Moon. These are
exceptional observations and crescent sightings
this early in the lunar month should not be
expected as the norm.

Obviously, the visibility of the young lunar
crescent depends on sky conditions and the

76

location, experience, and preparation of the
observer. Generally, low latitude and high altitude
observers who know exactly where and when to
look will be favored. For observers at mid-
northern latitudes, months near the spring
equinox are also favored, because the ecliptic
makes a relatively steep angle to the western
horizon at sunset during these months (tending to
make the Moon's altitude greater).

If we ignore local conditions for the moment, and
visualize the problem from outside the Earth's
atmosphere, the size and brightness of the lunar
crescent depend on only one astronomical
quantity - the elongation of the Moon from the
Sun, which is the apparent angular distance
between their centers. For this reason the
elongation has also been called the arc of light. If
we know the value of the elongation at any instant,

77

we can immediately compute the width of the
crescent.

What is the value of the elongation when the
Moon's age is one day? It varies, depending on
several factors:

(1) The elongation at New Moon. The Moon can
pass directly in front of the Sun at New Moon
(when a solar eclipse will occur) or can pass as far
as five degrees away. That is, the Moon
can start the month with an elongation ranging
from zero to five degrees. A minor complicating
factor involves the definition of New Moon in the
almanacs. Astronomical New Moon is defined to
occur when the Sun and Moon have the same
geocentric ecliptic longitude, which may not occur
precisely when the Sun and Moon are closest
together.

(2) The speed of the Moon in its orbit. The Moon's
orbit is elliptical, and its speed is greatest when it

78

is near perigee, least near apogee. If perigee
occurs near New Moon, the Moon will appear to be
moving away from the Sun in the sky at a greater
than average rate.

(3) The distance of the Moon. Again, because of its
elliptical orbit, the distance of the Moon varies, so
even if the Moon moved with a constant speed, its
angular motion as viewed from the Earth would be
greater when the Moon is near perigee.

(4) The location of the observer. If the observer is
located in the tropics such that the one-day-old-
Moon is observed just before it sets, its elongation
as seen by the observer will be about a degree less
than that seen by a fictitious observer at the
center of the Earth, which is the basis for most
almanac calculations. This decrease in observed
elongation is less for observers at middle or high
latitudes (although other geometric factors are
less favorable for these observers).

79

Factors (2) and (3) are linked by Kepler's second
law, which predicts that the angular speed of the
Moon as seen from the Earth will vary by about
22%. If we combine all these factors we find that
geocentric elongation of the Moon from the Sun at
an age of one day can vary between about 10 and
15 degrees.

This large range of possible elongations in the
one-day-old Moon is critical, because at this time
the width of the crescent is increasing with the
square of the elongation, and the surface
brightness of the crescent is also rapidly
increasing. Some of the earliest reliable sightings
of the crescent occur near elongations of around
10 degrees. Obviously, simply specifying the age
of the Moon cannot tell the whole story. Of course,
the elongation of the Moon does not tell the full
story, either. But, of the two parameters, the
elongation is a much more reliable parameter to

80

use as a starting point in assessing the lunar
crescent visibility at any given date and time.

The prediction of the first sighting of the early
crescent Moon is an interesting problem because
it simultaneously involves a number of highly non-
linear effects. Stated in less technical language, a
lot of things are changing very rapidly. Effects to
be considered are the geometry of the Sun, Moon,
and horizon; the width and surface brightness of
the crescent; the absorption of the Moon's light
and the scattering of the Sun's light in the Earth's
atmosphere; and the physiology of human vision.

(Courtesy : U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomica l
Applications Department)

Phases of the Moon

From any location on the Earth, the Moon appears
to be a circular disk which, at any specific time, is
illuminated to some degree by direct sunlight. Like
the Earth, the Moon is a sphere which is always

81

half illuminated by the Sun, but as the Moon orbits
the Earth we get to see more or less of the
illuminated half. During each lunar orbit (a lunar
month) we see the Moon's appearance change
from not visibly illuminated through partially
illuminated to fully illuminated, then back through
partially illuminated to not illuminated again.

Although this cycle is a continuous process, there
are eight distinct, traditionally recognized stages,

82

called phases. The phases designate both the
degree to which the Moon is illuminated and the
geometric appearance of the illuminated part.
These phases of the Moon, in the sequence of
their occurrence (starting from New Moon), are
listed below.

New Moon
The Moon's un-illuminated side is facing the
Earth. The Moon is not visible (except during a
solar eclipse. See the last figure, absolutely dark)

Waxing Crescent

The Moon appears to be partly but less than one-
half illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of
the Moon's disk that is illuminated is increasing.

First Quarter

One-half of the Moon appears illuminated by

direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk

that is illuminated is increasing.

83

Waxing Gibbous

The Moon appears to be more than one-half but
not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. The
fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is
increasing.

Full Moon

The Moon's illuminated side is facing the Earth.
The Moon appears to be completely illuminated by
direct sunlight.

Waning Gibbous

The Moon appears to be more than one-half but
not fully illuminated by sunlight. The fraction of
the Moon's disk that is illuminated is decreasing.

Last Quarter

One-half of the Moon appears to be illuminated by
direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk
that is illuminated starts decreasing.

84

Waning Crescent

The Moon appears to be partly but less than one-
half illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of
the Moon's disk that is illuminated is decreasing.

Following waning crescent is New Moon,
beginning a repetition of the complete phase cycle
of 29.53 days average duration. The time in days
counted from the time of New Moon is called the
Moon's "age". Each complete cycle of phases is
called a "lunation".

Because the cycle of the phases is shorter than
most calendar months, the phase of the Moon at
the very beginning of the month usually repeats at
the very end of the month. When there are two Full
Moons in a month (which occurs, on average,
every 2.7 years), the second one is called a "Blue
Moon". The first time that the thin waxing crescent
Moon is visible after New Moon (low in the evening

85

sky just after sunset) marks the beginning of a
month in the Islamic Calendar. Although Full Moon
occurs each month at a specific date and time, the
Moon's disk may appear to be full for several
nights in a row if it is clear. This is because the
percentage of the Moon's disk that appears
illuminated changes very slowly around the time of
Full Moon (also around New Moon, but the Moon is
not visible at all then). The Moon may appear
100% illuminated only on the night closest to the
time of exact Full Moon, but on the night before
and night after will appear 97-99% illuminated;
most people would not notice the difference. Even
two days from Full Moon the Moon's disk is 93-
97% illuminated.

New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last
Quarter phases are considered to be primary
phases and their dates and times are published in
almanacs and on calendars. The two crescent and

86

two gibbous phases are intermediate phases, each
of which lasts for about a week between the
primary phases, during which time the exact
fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated
gradually changes.

The phases of the Moon are related to (actually,
caused by) the relative positions of the Moon and
Sun in the sky. For example, New Moon occurs
when the Sun and Moon are quite close together in
the sky. Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon
are at nearly opposite positions in the sky - which
is why a Full Moon rises about the time of sunset,
and sets about the time of sunrise, for most places
on Earth. First and Last Quarters occur when the
Sun and Moon are about 90 degrees apart in the
sky. In fact, the two "half Moon" phases are called
First Quarter and Last Quarter because they occur
when the Moon is, respectively, one- and three-

87

quarters of the way around the sky (i.e., along its
orbit) from New Moon.

The relationship of the Moon's phase to its angular
distance in the sky from the Sun allows us to
establish very exact definitions of when the
primary phases occur, independent of how they
appear. Technically, the phases New Moon, First
Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter are defined
to occur when the excess of the apparent ecliptic
(celestial) longitude of the Moon over that of the
Sun is 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees, respectively.
These definitions are used when the dates and
times of the phases are computed for almanacs,
calendars, etc. Because the difference between the
ecliptic longitudes of the Moon and Sun is a
monotonically and rapidly increasing quantity, the
dates and times of the phases of the Moon
computed this way are instantaneous and well
defined.

88

The percent of the Moon's surface illuminated is a
more refined, quantitative description of the
Moon's appearance than is the phase. Considering
the Moon as a circular disk, the ratio of the area
illuminated by direct sunlight to its total area is
the fraction of the Moon's surface illuminated;
multiplied by 100, it is the percent illuminated. At
New Moon the percent illuminated is 0; at First
and Last Quarters it is 50%; and at Full Moon it is
100%. During the crescent phases the percent
illuminated is between 0 and 50% and during
gibbous phases it is between 50% and 100%.

Summary

A lunation is a lunar month, during which time the
Moon completely circles the Earth in its orbit. The
complete cycle of phases is obvious. Two other
effects can be easily seen. First, due to the
elliptical shape of the Moon's orbit, the apparent
size of the Moon's disk changes as its distance

89

from Earth varies. The closest and farthest points
do not always occur at the same phases, however.
Second, although the Moon‘s near side directly
faces the Earth on an average, we get to view the
Moon from slightly different angles as it orbits us.
This effect, libration, is caused partly by the tilt of
the Moon's rotation axis with respect to its orbital
plane and partly by the fact that the Moon's speed
in its orbit varies but its rotation rate does not. For
practical purposes, phases of the Moon and the
percent of the Moon illuminated are independent
of the location on the Earth from where the Moon
is observed. That is, all the phases occur at the
same time regardless of the observer's position.

Jamats in the Perspective

Jamatkhana (from Persian: ‫جﻣاعت‌خانه‬,‎ literally
"congregational place") is an amalgamation

90

derived from the Arabic word jama‗a (gathering)
and the Persian word khana (house, place). It is a
term used by Muslim communities around the
world to denote a place of gathering. Among some
communities of Muslims, the term is often used
interchangeably with the Arabic word Musallah (a
place of worship that has not been formally
sanctified as a masjid or is a place that is being
temporarily used as a place of worship by a
Muslim). The Nizārī Ismā'īlī community uses the
term Jama'at Khana to denote their places of
worship.

Cutchi Memon Jamat, Chennai

The history of Cutchi Memons of Chennai
(formerly known as Madras) is more than 150
years old. There is no authentic record of the first
migration of Cutchi Memons to Madras. It is,
however, known that a Cutchi Memon, Mr. Abdul

91

Rahim Patel was deputed from Karachi as the
―Patel of Madras‖ sometime before 1870. He is
known to have conducted business in Madras after
his arrival. Records show that his son, Mr. Zackaria
Abdul Rahim Sait ―Mateen‖, who became a prolific
writer, was born in 1884 in Madras. Early records
also show that, in 1880, the Corporation of
Madras allotted land for Cutchi Memons to use

92

Cutchi MemonMasjid, Chennai

their cemetery. During this period, many Cutchi
Memon families settled in Madras.

For reasons of convenience, they resided in
Anderson Street and Chinna Thambi Street of
Georgetown area. By the turn of the 20th century,
according to records, the first President of the
Cutchi Memon Jamat was Hajee Ebrahim Sait
followed by Janab Hajee Jounus Abba Sait. Both

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had their hearts and souls for the betterment and
welfare of the community. To safeguard the
interests of the community, the Cutchi Memon
Jamat was registered under the Society Act, and
included in it a clause (numbered 4) defining a
Cutchi Memon as one whose father and mother
were both Cutchi Memons. Twenty five years ago,
this clause was challenged in a court of law. The
Jamat‘s lawyer offered, in support of his
arguments, a well-known legal treatise written by
the famous jurist, Mr. Justice Mulla of the Bombay
High Court; the treatise contains a reference to
Cutchi Memons as being one of many Muslim
communities.

[It is believed that this treatise was Mulla's
"Mohamedan Law", which contains references to
Cutchi Memons, and the two Acts concerning their
identity as Muslims to be governed by the
Mohamedan Law in India].

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The Jamat won the case on the ground that Cutchi
Memons are not a religious body or
representatives of any particular religious group
but a community with full faith in Islam and having
an identity of its own, promoting the education,
economic and social interest of its members.
There has been smooth sailing ever since, as we
have followed The legal counsel‘s advice,
―Maintain your identity or get lost‖.

The grandeur of the community with flourishing
textile trade continued, and by the turn of the
century, the new generation began taking up
higher studies with diversification of
interests. Following are the names of a few
illustrious Cutchi Memons of yesteryears who are
remembered and revered to this day:

Hajee Essa Abba Sait was a businessman and
respected philanthropist. During 1917, he gifted a
property in Chinna Thambi Street in Georgetown

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to be used as a Jamat Khana for Cutchi Memons,
and a few other properties to meet the social
needs of the poorer of The members. He created
a Trust in 1919 to establish a Madrassa to impart
religious teachings and to donate books to all
deserving Cutchi Memon children. He also
established a Musafirkhana for all Muslim visitors
to Madras, and took an active interest in the
construction of a Masjid in Anderson Street; this
Masjid is today called the ―Memon Masjid‖.

An illustrious Cutchi Memon, Adam Hajee
Mohammed Sait arrived in Madras in 1902 from
Cochin (Kochi). He started dealing in tobacco and
in general merchandise. He was the first Cutchi
Memon of Madras to be conferred the title of Khan
Bahadur by the British. Already the President of
the South India Chamber of Commerce, he became
the Sheriff of Madras. During the last days of the
British Empire in India, when Sir James Taylor was

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the Governor of the Reserve Bank at Delhi, Adam
Hajee Mohammed Sait was made the Reserve Bank
Director of Madras Province. Two other Cutchi
Memons of Madras were honored with the title of
Khan Bahadur by the British: Moosa Hajee Ebrahim
Sait and Hajee Yousuff Hajee Joonus Sait.

Joonus Abba Sait (brother-in-law of Hajee Essa
Abba Sait) arrived in Madras from Bellary in 1904
and took to textile business. Another family in the
same line of business was that of Hajee
Aboobacker & sons. His eldest son was Ebrahim
Sait, whose daughter Aansa acquired literary
fame. Her literary contributions appeared in
reputed Urdu periodicals such as Asmath, Hareem,
Naye-Range Khayaal, etc.

A Cutchi Memon graduate from Aligarh, Hameed
Hassan, migrated to Madras in 1920 or so, and
practiced law in the Madras High Court. He was
responsible for framing the Rules and Regulations

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of Hajee Essa Abba Sait Trust. His eldest
son, Mahmood Hassan, was connected with
the Deccan Times before the partition of India. He
migrated to Pakistan, and becoming a favourite of
Mr. Mohamed Ali Jinnah, joined the Dawn of
Karachi, where he worked with distinction. It is
interesting to note that Mr. Mahmood Hassan
brought to Hajee Essa Abba Sait‘s Madrassa an
Englishman Mr. Marmaduke Pickthall to address
its students. Pickthall, a convert to Islam, is well
known for his academic work, particularly for his
translation of the Holy Qur‘an into English.

Yacoob Hassan Sait, another noteworthy Cutchi
Memon, entered politics and was a member of the
Madras Legislative council in 1916. He was later a
member of the Rajaji Cabinet in 1941.

Ismail Sait Maghmoom was a poet in Urdu and
Persian languages. His collection of

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poems, Kuziyat-e-Maghmoom, was published in
1929.

A journalist, Md. Ismail Sait was the owner and
editor of an Urdu magazine, the Dilchasp.

Dr. Abdul Khader Yousuff Sait, is now a leading
neurosurgeon in Saudi Arabia

Muneer Sait, hockey Olympian in 1968 (Mexico) is
now a member in the committee of the
International Hockey Federation.

Zackria & Sons, are leading auctioneers and real
estate agents.

Today, there are about 250 Cutchi Memon families
in Madras, pursuing various interests. The Jamat
is functioning well and serving its members in all
spheres: looking after the needy and the ailing,
extending interest-free loans to deserving young
men who wish to be employed abroad and become

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