I am of East Indian ancestry . I am of dark brown skin with brown eyes and full lock of black hair on my head. SURPRISE!! I do not come from INDIA. My ancestors are from India but I was born in KENYA, that beautiful country in eastern AFRICA.
Both India and Kenya are fabulous countries. How Can I tell? Well, I was borne in Kenya and have lived there until March 1974. That is 34 years. I have completed my education there including my graduate studies. I became a Civil Engineer at the prime age of 22 years with a Diploma from the Royal College, Nairobi, Kenya and simultaneously completing Parts I and II examinations for Institution of Civil Engineers , London, U.K. I obtained my chartered membership of the I.C.E. during 1967. The Chartered Engineer status from the I.C.E. is a rigorous undertaking and takes at least three years after graduation to obtain it.
Having traveled extensively in Kenya both privately and on the job, I can very correctly say that Kenya is a very wonderful country with lakes, mountains, fertile Rift Valley and excellent coastal areas. The peoples of Kenya, various tribes, races and groups, are quite educated and well mannered .
I have visited India three times in my life and each visit has strengthened my love for the country. This land is traversed by many holy and civil persons since time memorial and every step in that country will transport you to spiritual experience.
Let us go back to the subject of this Page, namely my ancestry and roots.
My great-grand father (Naya Depar Shah) went from our ancestral village (Navagam, Saurastra) in India to Kenya during 1925 and established a business in a town called Ruiru (between Nairobi & Thika). At that time , British settlers were establishing themselves for farming in Kenya ( growing sisal and coffee). The store (they call it shop there – in local language a shop is referred to as a DUKA) they built was from corrugated sheets. I will give more on this later but going back to my ancestry, we are from a community known in Saurastra , India as VISA OSHWAL COMMUNITY. This is a primarily a JAIN community. There are other Jain communities spread all across India but the distinction of our community is most pronounced when compared to similar Jain communities in Saurastra (in the Province of Gujarat, India). The story of the VISA OSHWAL is interesting and history becomes more involved when comparing with other Jain communities. Each community in India has its own distinct characteristics.
Navagam is a village, part of 52 villages (in Saurastra ) where you will find earlier VISA OSHWALs settled. The village is approachable from the city of Jamnagar . We went there during 1985 as my young son was interested to know about his roots. Some of the photos of our visit to Navagam can be seen. The photos also depict our prayers and respect to our Deities ( Goddesses -Kuldevi and Randalmata) and ancestors who had died prematurely either due to accidents or having been killed by robbers.
Our community originated in history from Sindh Province (now in Pakistan) and then they started migrating to Rajastan sometimes late in 19th century. From Rajastan due to economic reasons they migrated to Saurastra and settled down as farmers in the 52 villages near Jamnagar. We can trace our Family Tree to about 9 generations. Lets start with my son : Sunir, Pravinchandra, Juthalal, Dharamshi, Naya, Depar, Ladha, Devraj, Ranmal.
When we became Jain is not quite clear and when & why we adopted our current surname, Shah , is not quite clear either. I will give my version here and this version could be disputed by others. Our real family surname is BIDD (see our Family Tree), which differentiates us from other families in the Visa Oshwal community. This is important as we do not marry within the same family though we , by and large, marry within our community. A BIDD cannot marry another BIDD as due to genetic imprints it could be medically not very healthy. The Visa Oshwal community is, at present, some 50000 strong. The VISA OSHWAL are scattered all over the globe. The largest number are in U.K., after that many are in Kenya and then after that the largest numbers are in India, many are in Canada, Australia and U.S.A. There are Visa Oshwals in many Asian and African countries but their numbers could be counted on our finger tips in each country. Each Visa Oshwal could relate to another either directly or indirectly from connections due to impact of extended family. In travels, a Visa Oshwal could get assistance and support from other Visa Oshwal even if they do not know each other personally. Mind you this kinship is somewhat dwindling in the modern times as many people have become very individualistic and influenced by latest western norms.
Tidbits added for Aide Memoire (Sept 20, 2009)
1) When did Naya Depar came to Kenya – 1921 with my father & my Grandma (Deviben)
Father was 8 years old when he came to Kenya.
Naya Depar Went back to India in 1930.
2) When did Dharamshi Naya went to Kenya -around 1915
3) When did Sunderji lalji (my maternal Grandfather) got married – 1919
My nani (maternal Graandma ) name is Jiviben
His was the first Oshwal wedding in Kenya
4) When did we move to Mombasa – 1944
5) Kasturben (my mother) born in 1920
6) She married to my dad in 1935 . Father was 22 years old when married.
Means father was born in 1913.