Bula readers, happy Saturday to you and this week I thought I would share a little insight of my long family history dating back to 1825 and take you up to the year 1925 on our family journey of our first 100 years.
This article came about by a Whatsapp message I sent to a friend of mine by mistake last week.
In fact I sent him the images you are seeing here of my great-grandfather, grandfather and father, he replied back to me saying “Ajay Bhai you are very blessed to have over 100 years of pictures and collections of your family history, this information is not accessible by so many of us”.
That got me thinking maybe I should share my almost 200 year family history with you, in fact about 100 years of that history is based in Suva itself from the 1920s onwards.
It wasn’t hard to get accurate accounts of all my forefathers as we have a tradition of engraving copper and metal pots with dates of births and deaths of our relatives and these have been retrieved by my father when his mother died in Gujarat.
Also my direct first cousins still live in Gujarat and have access to our ancestral home, and this is where our historical journey began way back in 1825.
1825
It was in the year 1825 that my Greatgreat-great-great grandfather Ari Bhai was born in Maroli Bazar, Navsari, Gujarat, India. Almost 90 per cent of Gujarati’s who came to Fiji a 100 years later came from this region, making most of us well known to each other in a tight knit community.
1849
Ari Bhai’s life was one of simplicity and religious devotion and he became the proud father of son Govan Bhai, who was born in 1849 also in Maroli and it was there that the family began to purchase small properties to sustain a living and livelihood.
1870
In 1870 Govan Bhai introduced his rather large and burly son to the world and his name was Hansji.
This man was very different from the meek and mild personalities that led the family before him, Hansji was more aggressive and a risk taker.
He invested in more property and married a very beautiful young lady called Dudhi Ben together they had five sons and one daughter who was named Manchu Ben.
1895
Manchu Ben was born in 1895 and was an exceptionally beautiful girl, she was described as almost like a doll with beautiful skin, light brown eyes and her hair was flowing down to her lower back. From all accounts she was stunningly attractive with a beautiful kind and very caring personality to match.
1910
Unfortunately fate would punish her for her natural beauty as she was violently kidnapped at gun point by bandits around 1910 and no ransom was sought for her.
In desperation her brothers and father tried to negotiate Manchu Ben”s return, but this was to no avail as the perpetrators where going to keep her and no financial payment would secure her safe return.
Hansji and his sons were warned if they returned again they would be killed. It is a very sad chapter for our family as the shining light and most loved only sister of the five brothers was taken from them and her father Hansji Bhai and mother Dudhi Ben never really recovered from this crime that ripped away the love of their life.
No doubt the terrible crime committed would lead to the early deaths of both my great, great grandfather Hansji Bhai and great, great grandmother Dudhi Ben and in some ways may have led to the five brothers deciding to seek greener pastures in Fiji which we now call home.
1920s
The family’s migration to Fiji took place about 100 years ago and my Great grandfather and his brothers came here as merchants to do business, work hard and prosper for their families and future generations.
Interestingly the abduction of Manchu Ben was told to my father in great detail by my great, grandfather while he was growing up in Suva, but for some reason a sense of sorrow and sadness made this episode rarely spoken about.
Sometimes I wonder what happened to my great grand aunt Manchu Ben and as I write this article tears fall from my eyes as I can only pray she lived a life of little suffering after being forcefully kidnapped as a young girl of 15 years old and what crimes took place to her after her kidnapping.
I do not want to think about it.
At the young age of 15 she should have been enjoying family life with her loving parents and brothers, not at the hands of violent perpetrators.
Finally, she was a beautiful soul with loving parents and brothers whose life was destroyed and all her dreams ended so cruelly.
R.I.P. Manchu Ben 1895 – ?
AJ
* Ajay Bhai Amrit is a freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are his and does not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.
