Usman Batliwala

 

This young and promising writer is known through his pictorial publications. He has written biographies, including that of Seth Ahmed Dawood. Apart from his literary activities and interest in photography, he also devotes time to his own business. He attended several useful meetings in connection with the publication of this book.

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Umar Haji A. Karim Chhapra (Dr.)

 

Dr. Umar Chhapra is a shining star among those Pakistani Memons who have acquired higher education. He is one of the scholars who has got his higher education as a scholar of All Pakistan Memon Educational and Welfare Society. He has utilised his scholarship by rendering services to Muslim countries in the field of economics. He is presently serving as financial advisor in the Finance and Monetary Agency of the Saudi Government and is enjoying a prestigious status there. He was a brilliant student and always topped the list of successful candidates. He acquired merit scholarship from Karachi University in 1956 and received M. Corn. degree. Thereafter, he proceeded to USA for his Ph.D. He was admitted to the University of Minnesota where he was awarded Cowls fellowship. In 1957, he was appointed teaching assistant in the same University and after receiving Ph.D., he was appointed Assistant Professor in Wisconsin University. Coming back to Pakistan, he joined the Institute of Development of Economics as Sr. Economist and subsequently became Assistant Editor of Pakistan Development Review. He worked with the Central Institute of Islamic Research as Associate Professor and later as faculty member of Wisconsin University and Kuwait University.

Dr. Chhapra is also financial advisor to the Central Bank of Investment, Saudi Arabia. He became one of the trustees of the World Memon Foundation. He returned all the loans that he had received from different sources for pursuing his education. To All Pakistan Memon Educational and Welfare Society, he is particularly indebted and he says that the status which he is enjoying is due to the timely help of this Society.

He has written a number of articles and books on Islamic economics and has earned fame as an expert economist of international level.

His wife, Khairunnissa, is also a highly educated lady. She obtained diploma course in Public Health from Beirut and joined Karachi Child Health Centre. She was one of the first Memon lady speakers who delivered speeches in USA and Saudi Arabia. She has served as Vice President of Pakistan Women League.

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Usman A. Ghani Edhi

 

He was a silent social worker. A member of Indian National Congress, he led a very simple and honest life. He passed his last days in adverse conditions. His political affiliation with the Congress, invited the wrath of the Muslims. He suffered a lot because of his pro congress thinking.

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Usman Hashim

 

This brilliant man was the son of Haji Hashim. Born in Karachi in 1935, Usman graduated from Sindh Muslim College. He wanted to be a professor but his father persuaded him to take to his business. A well-known Attorney-General of Pakistan, Mr. A. K. Brohi, who was very close to late Usman, while paying homage to him, had said that he did not remember any occasion when the late Usman refused help to students whom Mr. Brohi had referred to Usman for financial help. He established social welfare institutions for the promotion of education and welfare. His competence in looking after and managing various industrial and commercial units and simultaneously to take active interest in the social field was astonishing. He studied philosophy and was associated with the circle of leading philosophers and scholars of the country. These included the late Mr. A. K. Brohi,the late Hakim Muhammad Said, Dr. Manzoor Ahmad and others.

He regarded his social service as ibadat. A great patron of art, culture, painting, and handicrafts, he bought art works in bulk to decorate his own study and to present them to many of his friends and admirers. He had a personal library with a large collection of books. He was included in Pakistan's business delegation which toured foreign countries for the promotion of exports. He died very early due to accident.

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Umer Mohammed Jooma, (Dr.)

 

There is a small village Jalia Devani in Kathiawar on the route between Jamnagar to Rajkot. Umar was born in 1917 in the family of Vali Mohammed Jooma. Jooma was his grandfather and he subsequently became famous with this name. This child later on became Dr. Jooma, a doctor of international fame.

While he was 4 years old he went to South Africa with his father. He received his primary and secondary education, in Durban. Then he went to another city, Cape Town where he studied in the university for three years and returned to Bombay.

In 1943, he passed his MBBS and worked for five years in K.E.M. Hospital, Bombay. At that time in the sub-continent there was only one Neuro-surgeon., Dr. Cooper. When Dr. Jooma got the chance to work under Dr. Cooper, he developed interest in brain surgery.

At the same time there came an advertisement in local newspapers about Nuffield scholarship. He applied and got the scholarship. He then proceeded to England where he received Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Neuro-Surgery in 1950. After the death of Dr. Cooper, Dr. Jooma became one of the leading neuro-surgeons of the subcontinent.

In 195 1, he returned to Karachi and joined Jinnah Hospital. In 1952, when the Ceylonese Prime Minister, Mr. Senanaike, received brain injuries while horse-riding, Dr. Jooma, who by that time had attained fame world over, was summoned to Ceylon. Unfortunately, before Dr. Jooma could reach there the patient died. Anyway, this event received full coverage in world newspapers and he became internationally well-known.

He attended several medical conferences as representative of Pakistan. In 1964, he was appointed Professor of Neuro-surgery in Dow Medical College and at the same time was made honorary surgeon commander in Pakistan Navy. Dr. Jooma had offered his service in the army.

Dr. Jooma was fond of tennis, photography and reading. He had a spacious Library containing very informative books on brain diseases and surgery. He had full command of English, Urdu and Gujrati languages. During his life time, Dr. Rashid Jooma, his eldest son, became a qualified Neuro-surgeon and remained attached with his father. After the death of his father, Dr. Rashid Jooma is now one of the leading Neuro-surgeons of the country.

Dr. Jooma was planning to retire from active practice in the field of Surgery as he had developed cancer. He died on 27 February 1985.

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Usman Jivabhoy Kasmani

 

He was born in Amreli, Baroda State, where primary education was compulsory and free. He took interest in the activities of the Boarding House and was a regular visitor to promote education amongst the students. He delivered lectures on social awakening of the Memon community. He awarded gold medals to deserving students.

After partition he remained a social worker and community leader. He was one of the founders of All Pakistan Memon Federation. He visited Burma and Japan and was much impressed by the dedication of the Japanese people to their work. He was a leading insurance agent before migration. In Pakistan he was one of the founder members of Karachi Stock Exchange.

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Umar Karim Khanani

 

Mr. Umar Karim started publishing a magazine namely, Ittefakul Moaminin. Since there was no printing press in Bantva, he had to go to Ahmedabad for the printing of the magazine. He died in 1924.

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Usman Kamlani

 

He was considered to be a good journalist. He was the compiler of Film Section of Dawn Gujrati. He was also founder Secretary of Karachi Film Journalists Association. In recognition of his services, the Karachi Film Journalists Association has been giving every year Kamlani Award since 1985 to the best film journalist. He was a thorough gentleman, who raised issues and put questions at the meetings of the journalists and the office bearers faced a real hard time to give satisfactory replies. He was outspoken while very courteous.

He died in 1973.

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Usman A. Lateef

 

Haji Usman A. Lateef is one of the prominent leaders of Sukkur. He was associated with social welfare service and was known as Baba-e-Halar in Sukkur. His services were not confined to the Memons only nor the people of Halar but to all the citizens of Sukkur area.

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Umar Matcheswala

 

This philanthropist and active social worker of pre-independent movement belonged to Dhoraji. He insisted on the Quaid-e-Azam to undertake a tour of Kathiawar for collection of press fund, assurine, him a collection of minimum of Rs. 100,000/- whereas the actual collection exceeded Rs. 150,000/-. Whenever the question of donation for any purpose was put forward, his was the first donation and quite a substantial one. All through his life he enjoyed a high reputation.

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Umer Abdur Rehman

 

He is a well known Editor of a popular journal "Memon Alam" since its inception in 1950s. He has rendered valuable service in spreading news of services of Memons universally.

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Usman Memon

 

He is a well-known comedy character. He has appeared in various T.V. programmes. He has toured several countries of Africa, USA and other countries with teams of drama artists.

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Usman Ghani Shabnum

 

He belonged to the same youthful group ol' Junani, Bhoora and others. But his main services were in the field of journalism. He edited weeklies from Rajkot. motivating people to provide higher education to their families, particularly women. After migrating to Karachi, he continued his career in journalism and was editor of a Gujrati daily.

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Usman Eisa Bhai Wakeel

 

He was one of' the few qualified Menion lawyers in Kathiawar. He was very keen to promote education and one of the notable supporters of the First Memon Conference held in Rajkot. Subsequently, he made Rajkot his headquarter, acquired a huge plot of land where he established a boarding house and became its Honorary Superintendent while practising law in Rajkot and other courts of Kathiawar. He took keen personal interest in the welfare and education of each boarder and rendered yeoman service in that capacity. The property left behind in Rajkot, which belonged to the Boarding House, is worth a billion rupees today with hardly anybody taking care of it. In Karachi, he was one of the leading members of the Memon relief committee established to provide relief to the refugees reaching Pakistan. He was also a good orator and was active member of Cooperative Housing Society. One of the roads on Hill Park is named after him.

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