Chacha

Everyone called him “Chacha” (Uncle)* and knew that, should they have a genuine problem, Uttamchand could be counted on to offer assistance. Chacha had a modest textile shop next to the abra point and other merchants and shop-owners always sought his assistance and advice. Uttamchand had a place of honour in the large Indian community in Dubai because of his astute business acumen and the fact that by 1981 he had lived in Dubai for 59 of his 71 years. He was not the first Indian to set foot on Dubai soil and make it his home. Indians had settled in the Emirate for more than a hundred years, but Uttamchand was perhaps the only Indian to have come to Dubai as a child and continued to make it his home for the rest of his life.

A quiet and content man, Uttamchand came to the Emirate in 1922. He was just eleven years old and the seven-day voyage from Karachi to Dubai was the first major event in his childhood. He said it was the first time he had come to Karachi from his home in the interior of the Sindh province and his maiden experience of travelling by steamer held him spellbound. The youngster did not know where he was being taken and found the voyage scary, particularly when the vessel swayed on the high seas.

The young lad left his home in Sindh due to a family tragedy. His father had passed away when he was just three years old and he was brought up by his Uncles. An outbreak of plague in Sindh in 1922 took a heavy toll on his family and he lost all his Uncles to the pandemic. He was taken to Karachi by one of his aunts, who was determined to save the young boy’s life. As luck would have it, his aunt’s brother-in-law was setting sail for Dubai and it was decided Uttamchand would accompany him. When he landed in Dubai, he discovered there were no children his age to play with and no school to attend. However, he was given duties in the family shop and in less than one year he was speaking fluent Arabic and found himself very much at home.

In seven years Uttamchand had a shop of his own and he had changed his line of business and become one of the more successful Indian pearl merchants of Dubai. Following the other dealers, he would buy pearls from Arab merchants and ship them to Bombay. Once in port, the agents collected the cargo and sent money or goods in exchange by the next ship leaving for Dubai. The deals were always straight forward and honest with both parties relying on each other’s integrity. A verbal agreement was always honoured.

Uttamchand was one of 25 Indians who lived in Dubai all year and had an established business and trade. None of the residents had their families with them as there were sparse medical and educational facilities. The first doctor to open a dispensary was Dr. Mohammad Jasin, who came to live in Dubai in 1928. It was simultaneous with the Dubai Ruler asking the merchants to consider opening groceries or corner shops for the benefit of the residents. Both food grain and textile businesses were monopolised by Indian merchants.

The old souk on the Deira side has changed very little in the last half century. The antiquated narrow lanes are dotted with shops, some the size of a cubbyhole and above them small flatlets where the families lived. Above these living abodes were the wind-towers, the only means in those days long gone, to bring a breath of fresh air into the living quarters. Business was based on mutual trust rather than letters of credit but the goods traded changed from bales of simple cotton to synthetic fabrics, and from sacks full of food grains to cartons of tinned food items. Chacha said “We all lived and stayed here because of Shaikh Rashid, the Ruler, a man of extraordinary business acumen. He had very simple tastes and habits and always made you feel very welcome in Dubai.” Uttamchand reiterated that this was one of the main reasons that he did not pursue the idea of setting up a parallel business in Bombay, India, his country. In fact, he went to Bombay in 1950, after partition, to explore options, but he did not feel at home – Dubai had become his place of residence and Chacha and his extended family were happy, secure and content living in a place they affectionately called “home”.

*‘Chacha’ means father’s younger brother in Hindi