Our History

Kara Kanji Mandalia was the son of Kanji Manji Mandalia, a gentleman born in the 1880’s in Palakhda, about 10 miles from Porbandar, India. Only limited information is known about his own ancestry, but the family tree can be traced back to several previous generations. Kanji Manji Mandalia was the son of Manji Mulji, the grandson of Mulji Dosa, and great grandson of Dosa Mandalia.

Kara bapa had two brothers and four sisters. Kara bapa married Jevi ma and they in turn had four sons and three daughters. Their eldest child Harji bapa was born in 1903. Then came Bhimji bapa, Karsan bapa, Govind bapa, and the four brothers were followed by their sisters Moti fai, Kari fai and the youngest sibling, Mani fai.

Kara bapa was a humble man who earned a modest living as a tailor, in those days often struggling to make ends meet. He and Jevi ma had settled in the ancestral home in Palakhda. Within Palakhda there lived a Brahmin woman by the name of Dai Ben, who Kara bapa treated as a sister. She also regarded Kara bapa as a brother and supported him through difficult times, often providing him with food. The Kara Mandalia family’s connection with Dai ben and her family continue to this day and she is fondly referred to by many of us as Dai fai. Dai fai’s son – Rashi Kaka is 109 years old and still lives in Palakhda. He owns four farms (vadis) with the latest machinery and well-regarded living accommodation. Those that visit Palakhda often make a point of visiting Rashi Kaka and his family, and continue to be thankful for the hospitality that they extend.

The first migration of the Kara bapa family occurred in or about 1921, when Harji bapa at the tender age of about 19 or 20 went to Madagascar. He lived with his Masi [Jevi ma’s sister], where he learned the tailoring trade. Little further is known of the life of the young Harji Bapa so far away from home. Harji Bapa returned back to India in 1925. Meanwhile Bhimji bapa travelled to Kenya and initially settled in Nairobi, where he worked as a tailor. In 1924, Bhimji Bapa, seeing opportunities for the family to advance, invited his younger brothers, Karsan bapa and Govind bapa to join him. The brothers had gone to Kenya on a 2-year contract as indentured labourer. The British policy at the time was to encourage Indians to go to the African countries to work laying the railway line or undertake other labouring on a contracted basis. This was not dissimilar to Gandhiji, a man from Porbandar who had gone to South Africa as an indentured labourer. Gandhiji was shocked at the treatment of his fellow countrymen and it was here that he developed his principles of ‘Satyagraha’ and ‘Ahimsa’.

Both Harji Bapa and Bhimji bapa travelled back to India at approximately the same time in 1925 and later both brothers married. Harji bapa married Kastur ba & Bhimji bapa married Dhanu ba. It was at about this time that Harji Bapa bought a house in Porbandar. It is believed that Kara bapa and Jevima remained in Palakhda.

In 1926 Harji bapa let his house to a trusted friend and moved to Kenya, initially settling in Nairobi. Kara bapa’s eldest grandson, Bhagwanji bhai was born a year later in Nairobi.

In 1927 Bhimji bapa and Govind bapa also emigrated from India and travelled to Kericho and started a tailoring business. Business proved difficult and the two brothers decided to improve their prospects elsewhere. In the 1920’s travel was not so easy and people had a limited knowledge about travelling. The two brothers boarded a train, not really knowing the destination and to their surprise, ended up in Tororo – Uganda! Realising their mistake they took the next train back to Kenya and this time ended up in Eldoret at Midnight.

A kindly tailor named Dosa bhai took them under his wing and allowed Bhimji bapa and Govind bapa to stay at his house. The very next day the two brothers started work at a Vanya’s shop. Within the year, in 1928 the two brothers were joined in Eldoret by Karsan bapa. The brothers jointly bought a shop on India Street, Eldoret and lived behind the shop. Eighty years later in 2008 part of that building remains occupied by Naran Karsan Mandalia. In 1930 Trikam Kara Parmar and his elder brother Sunderji Kara Parmar came to Eldoret, and they were followed in 1934 by Devji Kara Makwana (Kara bapa’s nephew).

In 1928, Harji bapa also settled in Eldoret and having spent many years establishing themselves, the brothers were all re-united. In 1928, Harji bapa started a business near his brother’s shop, but later moved to the opposite side of the road and eventually to the Oginga Odinga Street in the European Bazaar.

The Mandalia brothers prospered in Eldoret and as the years went by Karsan bapa married Velu ba and in 1944 married Rambha ba. Govind bapa married Galal ba. Velu ba, was the last remaining elder from that generation until she passed away earlier in 2008 at the grand age of 90.

Whilst the brothers established themselves in Eldoret, in India their sister Kari fai married Veljibhai Solanki and most of her family now live in London. Moti fai married Govind bhai Sonigra, who was himself Dhanu ba’s brother. Many of her family still live in India, however some have emigrated to the UK. Mani Fai married late in life at about the age of 30, but unfortunately passed away two years after her marriage.

Kara bapa had 31 grandchildren, the eldest being the late Bhagwanji Harji Mandalia and the youngest, Pravin Karsan Mandalia. In the mid 1960’s, after Kenya got its independence, the grandchildren of Kara bapa became British Citizens and started to migrate to the UK. The family is spread throughout the UK and as at 2008 there are 524 members of the Kara bapa family. 322 of them are in UK and 202 abroad, in India, and Africa. The migration of the family has continued and since the late 1980’s some of the family has settled in Canada and Australia.

Photographs of many of those that are mentioned in this article can be found on the picture gallery.

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