Mr. Kassim H. K.
Dada, the famous son of an equally famous father, has a versatile personality.
His father sent him to Calcutta in 1931 from where he received his education
in English, Gujrati, Urdu, religion, Arabic, and Hindi. As a child,
Kassim Dada learned to play and enjoy the then popular games and despite
being afflicted with polio, he played football, hockey and cricket.
He was a great fan
of the famous Mohammadan Sporting Club of Calcutta, and recalls with
joy some of the performances of the football team and remembers all
the players and their respective positions they played on.
When Lord Inchcap,
who controlled shipping companies in India and the Far East, visited
Calcutta, Kassim was selected to read the address of welcome at a function
held in honour of Lord Inchcap. His ambition was, however, to become
a doctor or an engineer but his father decided that he should become
a businessman. At the age of 20, he began working in one of the branches
in Coimbtore in Kerala in South India.
In Bantva, he came
in contact with important persons like the Quaid-e-Azam, who came to
collect funds and many others who were house guests of his father. The
dressinc, table that the Quaid used is now one of Kassim's precious
possessions. The Grand Mufti of Palestine, Mr. Yousuf Haroon, Dr. Ziauddin
Ahmed, Haji Sattar Saith, and Sir George Campbell were guests in his
house. Begum Sahiba Manavadar State, who was a ruler of the State, used
to come to their house and to seek his father's advice on different
problems faced by her.
Mr. Kassim had personal
relationship with Mr. Zahid Hussain, the first Governor of the State
Bank of Pakistan and with Khawaja Nazimuddin, the Governor-General as
well as Prime Minister of Pakistan. He had very close family terms with
Mohtrama Fatema Jinnah and had several opportunities to meet the Quaid.
Under the influence
of Mr. Ismail Muhammad, a very unusual person, and a free thinker, who
led a very simple life, Mr. Kassim started washing his own clothes which
he has been doing for more than fifty years now. The last time he went
to a barber was about 35 years ago. He cuts his own hair. He likes cooking
his own food. When he was the head of the Muhammadi Steamship Company,
he had a small Volkswagens to set an example for others. While his marriage
was an arranged one, he allowed his three children, out of five to marry
non-Memons. His only son, Sikandar has obtained B.Sc. (Honors) from
London School of Economics and has now more or less taken over the multifarious
business responsibilities of Mr. Kassim.
Mr. Kassim has also
written a book by the name of A Ranible Through Life. He is also quite
good as a shikari, and is interested in pigeon breeding and trainin-
them. C, Photography is another hobby which includes developing and
printing. He is a lover of Eastern and Western music and plays various
musical instruments. He is a globe trotter and once or twice a year
he goes around the world, mostly to meet his old friends. He has paid
115 visits to Europe and 42 visits to USA and has been to about hundred
countries which include Cuba, South Vietnam, China, USSR, Paraguay,
Venezuela, New Zealand, Malta and the Bahamas.
Mr. Kassim is an
active Rotarian and has been home guest in many countries with his Rotarian
friends and vice versa. His house is open with warm hospitality to.many
international Rotarians.
He became associated
with a shipping company on the advice of the Quaid-e-Azam. He was Chairman
and Managing Director of Muhammadi Steamship Company, founder President
of the Pakistan Ship Owners Association, Chairman of Pakistan Shipping
Lines Limited, Director of State Bank of Pakistan for 24 years. He became
the President of Karachi Stock Exchange and remained in that position
for nine years. He has also served as President of the Merchants' Association
for five years and has served as the VicePresident of the Federation
of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He has also served for
five years as President of Pakistan Memon Federation. As a rotarian
he has published forty articles and has addressed many meetings and
conferences internationally and was awarded the highest award of the
Rotary International. He was also President of the Karachi Aero Club
and won an award as its best flying member. He was invited to join hands
with many foreign companies and served as Chairman of Johnson and Nicholson
for some 35 years and he continues to be Chairman of the original Johnson
and Nicholson, which is now called Berger Paints. He has been the Chairman
of Brooke Bond for 22 years i and was chosen to take over its management.
Mr. Kassim is a
pioneer in the field of Asbestos Cement Sheets industry. He established
three plants in Hyderabad, Karachi and Chittagong. This company is now
known as Dadex Eternet Limited.
Mr. Bhutto wanted
Mr. Kassim to serve as head of a large state corporation which would
have resulted in helping his own business but he refused to accept any
position, though earlier he had served on a number of committees of
the federal government.
He is one man who
has been a nominee of the federal government for 24 years when he was
a director of the Central Board of the State Bank of Pakistan. He was
the first Pakistani businessman who piloted his own plane and has to
his credit 1800 hours of flying experience including 1400 in command.
He has piloted planes all over Pakistan and also foreign countries like
Switzerland, United Kingdom, France and USA.
He was one of the
ten invites from Pakistan to the Coronation of the Queen Elizabeth and
was awarded Coronation medal. He received Sitara-e-Khidmat from the
President of Pakistan and Knighthood from the King of Belgium. In 1954
the International Year Book of Statesmen 'Who is Who' his name was included
amongst the list of fewer than half a dozen persons from Pakistan.
