Page 178 - DILMUN NO 20

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Historical Links between lndia and the Gulf

in Bahrain, Yusuf Kanoo, the founder of Kanoo business empire, started as
a banker with offices in both, Bahrain and Bombay. Those "merchants who
went to Bombay to arrange the sale of their pearls in October and November
could leave their money with Yusuf in lndia and make their drawings a few
months later from his Bahrain office, Those who ran food and timber­
importing businesses would pay into their accounts in Bahrain and make their
drawing in lndia, either from Yusuf's own offices or from various Bombay

merchants with whom Yusuf held accounts', 62

Similarly, merchant families in the Trucial Sheikdoms made their early
fortunes through import-export relations with lndia. However, the wealth of a
number of them basically came from smuggling big quantities of gold into
lndia, an activity also practised by other Gulf merchants but to a lesser
degree. 63 These merchants, particularly from Dubai, exploited the relative
geographic proximity of their coasts to the lndian shores, and hte need by
lndia's huge population for gold as an essential part of every bride's dowry to
conduct this practice and to make immense fortunes. Connected to this,
another illegal trade was run by them, particularly from the immediate post­
oil discovery years until the 1960s; the use of the pearling and gold
smuggling boats on return journeys in smuggling lndian young men, eager to
obtain jobs and earn money, into the Gulf states, 64

Gulf Merchants' Activities in lndia

Activity of the Gulf merchants, who settled in lndia or who were stationed
there was not only restricted to marketing pearls or capturing business
opportunities. ln addition, they were very active in india's social and cultural
life, obser‫ق‬ing political developments in the lndian Sub-continent,
establishing contact with lndian lntellectuals-particularly the leaders of the
Muslim community - and trying to educate themselves. Not only that, but
some of the wealthiest among them constructed mosques, schools, and
clubs in lndia to ser‫ق‬e Muslim lndians as well as the Arab community. The
Hijai merchant Muhammed 2ainal A0ireza,for examp‫ﺕ‬e,built a number of
schools in Bombay, Bahrain and Dubai including the famous Alfalah school
in Bombay (1931) for teaching Arabic language,lslamic studies,and other
subjects 65, while the Kuwaiti A0ebrahim contributed to the building of
schools in both, Kuwait an Bombay, 66