Hassanalibhai Fazal Jaffer Khataw was born on 23rd September 1908 in Makalla. He was just one year old when his father who used to work for Haji Lalji left the job and moved his hometown in Kutch, India.Hassanalibhai had the opportunity to get the basic education in Kutch.
At the age of 17 he worked for Hajibhai Laljibhai in Makalla. After working for 4 and half years, on his employer’s advice he worked as a treasurer in Aden’s branch. He lived in Aden for 4 years. This branch of Aden was managed by Hassanlibhai’s paternal uncle, Brother Abdallabhai Jaffer Khataw who has been managing it since then.
In 1933 Hassanalibhai went to his hometown, where he got married. He then worked for a Memon company by the name of “Abdurahman Osman & Company.,” Later in 1934 he then went to manage the Mauritius branch.
On 23rdDecember 1937 he left to go to his hometown and returned in July 1938 together with his spouse. Residing in Mauritius, on advise of the community brothers he left the job and started his own business but after a few months he rejoined to work at Abdurahaman’s Company and would run his own shop in the evening hours, he continued working and doing business simultaneously for three years. Then he resigned from work and concentrated fully on his own business. This business which he established in 1941 picked up gradually and it flourished quite well.
Hassanalibhai had 7 children all together. As he had lived in Arabia he had a talent of reciting “Nauha and Marshiya” and was quite staunch in religious activities. In 1941 he went for 4 months to Madagascar. In 1960 during the first election of the Jamaat, he was elected as the treasurer of the Jamaat.
Translated by F. Ali
Extracted from Community Directory 1964