Sri Lanka Memon Family Genealogy

KANDHOI - Family #294

Ismail Omar was perhaps the first from his clan to leave the shores of his native Batwila in Gujarat for Ceylon in 1936 whe he was only 12 years of age. He soon found a job at Kannady Bhai's Stores, a leading Memon firm in the heart of Kandy town run by Osman Sakoor Chatni. As time went on he established himself in the store and eventually won the trust of his boss, who, in a show of camaraderie for the young man gave his only daughter, Fathima, in marriage. He later ventured on his own opening a textile business in Kurunegala called Ismail Omar & Sons, which he transferred to Kandy town. He was no ordinary run of the mill Memon and had a variety of interests other than business. His intellectual discourses won him many friends and many would trek all the way to Kandy to enjoy his hospitality and company - which was legendary. His marriage to Fathima was a blessed one and produced five boys and three girls.

The family moved to Colombo after their father's demise in 1975 and are now well established in business and family life in the metropolis.

1 Kandhoi

2 Ismail Omar Kandhoi, b:1924, d:1975 + Fathima d/o Osman Sakoor Chatni of Kandy

3 son

3 daughter

Compiled by the Webmaster of the Sri Lanka Genealogy Website from available data in Sri Lankan archives together with data extracted from "Memons of Sri Lanka" - Men Memoirs Milestones, by Asiff Hussein & Hameed Karim Bhoja, May 2006, iSBN 955-1408-00-4, Published by The Memon Association of Sri Lanka