Journey of enrichment

THERE is an old Indian saying that postulates: “If there is even one Gujarati anywhere, he will start a mini-Gujarat there.” This adage rings true in every sense here in Malaysia, as it does anywhere else in the world where the Gujarati diaspora have settled.

Known for their adaptability and keen desire to embrace the environment and land to which they have migrated, it is fascinating to note how the Gujaratis have managed to retain and actively pursue their unique traditions and customs even while embracing the demanding changes of living in a foreign land.

In Malaysia (like in East Africa, South Africa, the UK and US), Gujaratis have made their mark, coming a long way from humble beginnings, thereby developing an enviable reputation for being a hardworking, close-knit and successful community.

For the Gujarati community in Malaysia, it has been a “journey of enrichment”.

ARRIVING IN MALAYSIA … INITIAL EFFORTS

The Gujaratis first arrived in Malaysia in the 14th century, when traders sailed from western Indian ports to Malacca to sell spices. In that era, Malacca was considered an important trading port in the Southeast Asian region and a popular destination for traders seeking or selling goods for profit.

It was only in the late 19th to the early 20th century that the Gujaratis started to migrate to Peninsular Malaya. The British colonial administration was also encouraging Indians to come out and work in Malaya, East Africa, South Africa and the South Pacific region. Many seized the wider geographic opportunities offered by the British empire, while others were driven by drought situations and limited opportunities at home.

The initial Gujarati migrants were mainly textile and clothing traders, though some sought initial work in plantations. But life was hard. Many among the pioneering generation, like Prabhulal Doshi braved the obstacles by starting a door-to-door trading operation, cycling through rough paths and unfriendly terrain to earn that initial income.

Gujarati stalwart and philanthropist, Himatlal Bhatt, who later founded the Gujarati Seva Samaj and Indian Chamber of Commerce in Penang, had very humble beginnings – even doing odd jobs, working as a cook and selling basic foodstuffs, before building up the lucrative trading business in commodities, particularly specialising in onions and spices.

Prominent retail outlets and departmental stores were established in Kuala Lumpur and Penang by the legendary Doshi and Kamdar pioneers. Older citizens across all ethnic groups still

speak reverentially about T. J. Doshi, C. T. Doshi (father of Datuk Jeetendra, who is a property investor) and C. J. Doshi, while fondly recalling how they went shopping in the Indian (Gujarati) owned outlets on Mountbatten Road (now Jalan Tun Perak).

THE PENANG-GUJARATI HERITAGE ...

During the early 1900s, Penang was more prominent on the shipping-trading route, particularly being an important connector port for the Calcutta-Rangoon-PenangHong Kong circuit.

Not surprisingly, many enterprising Gujarati (and Armenian) businessmen settled in and drove their business efforts from Penang. Besides the legendary Himatlal Bhatt, prominent Penang-based Gujarati pioneers include: a) Manilal & Sons: Made initial inroads as a large-scale tin trader, later expanding to palm oil exports. Still owns oil palm plantations in Sabah. Family is related to Datuk Narendra Jassani, through marriage. b) Patel Holdings: Former Manilal Group director, Sri J. N. Patel ventured out and became a major palm oil trader. c) Kamdar: Family came from Ipoh and rose to become the most prominent and trusted name in retail and departmental stores. Growth of this enterprise was driven by three Kamdar brothers. Later opened branches in Kuala Lumpur and across Malaysia. Also moved on to wholesale and went public around 2006. Currently managed by Kamal Kamdar who emerged after a vicious legal battle. d) Mydin: Starting with a very small shop dealing in needles, threads and toys, Mydin (senior) moved to Kota Baru as a small trader, building from this humble base. His son, the affable Datuk Ameer Ali, combined Gujarati entrepreneurial energy with dynamic vision to establish the powerful local retail giant, now revered as the Mydin Group. e) Peerbhai: Brother-in-law of Mydin. Another person who started small and gradually built up branches across Malaysia

There are several others, including the Makhanlals and Shroffs, who were probably Marwaris, who also spoke Gujarati.

All ethnic (Malaysian) Indians should note that barrister Sir Hussein Abdoolcader, a Gujarati Vohra Muslim, was the first ethnic from Peninsular Malaya to be knighted. It was Sir Hussein who strongly lobbied the British colonial administration to declare Deepavali as a public holiday, across the British Straits Settlements.

Sir Hussein is perhaps the only Gujarati in Malaysia (or Singapore) to have two roads named after him (Taman Tun Hussein and Jalan Sir Hussein, in Penang). Many senior lawyers still in practice today, would have probably interacted with his son, Supreme Court Judge Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdoolcader.

Incidentally, the first Indian Chamber of Commerce in Malaysia was established in Penang during the early 1930s by H. A. Tyebkhan, Purushottamdas Patel, Shiva Joshi and Himatlal Bhatt.

CORE GUJARATI DNA

To comprehend the reasons which drive this entrepreneurial energy and success, one must understand the CORE Gujarati DNA. Particularly the values, principles and priorities which fashion their lives and influence their business practices (please re-read box on the previous page S03).

WHAT LIES AHEAD …

Relentless hard work, faith, resilience and perseverance of the first and second generation Gujarati migrants have paved the way for the current generation to live a life their ancestors could only dream about. There is little doubt that the continued diligence of Gujarati Malaysians will facilitate further business and economic growth in the country, besides expanding employment and income opportunities in society.

Part 2 of theSun’s Gujarati Special will analyse the evolving mindset of third generation Gujaratis, besides executing deeper exploration of the rationale and relevance of three parallel (or interactive) business models which Malaysian Gujaratis are now pursuing.

However, with the facts and exposure postulated just by the first part of this Sun-specialfeature, we trust that both the government and private sectors, besides the wider Malaysian society, will explore meaningful routes for interacting with and benefiting from this dynamic cache of entrepreneurial energy and business acumen.