Al-Alim
Naina-Marikar Khaleefathul Khadiry - Family
#16
Yehiya
Muhammad
Naina-Marikar (known as YM Naina-Marikar and more affectionately
as “YM”) was born on November 18, 1883. He was the third issue
of Muhammad Yehiya, son of Alim Naina-Marikar Khaleefathul
Khadiri, whose lineage is traced back to the early Arab settlers
at Beruwela. He died on April 9, 1952.
Alim
Naina-Marikar
Khaleefathul Khadiry was a well known Alim who was highly
respected for his Islamic knowledge and deep devotion. He held
the exalted position of Chief of the Khadiriya Order in Ceylon
up to his death.
YM
Naina-Marikar
married Muhsina Abdul Majeed, the second daughter of AR Abdul Majeed who was
the eldest son of the Hon MC Abdul Rahman, Member of the
Legislative Council, the first Muslim to be appointed a
Legislative Councillor for the entire Muslims of Ceylon. He held
this position until his death.
Muhsina
was
an aristocratic lady of noble parentage. A great-grand daughter
of Qutub As-Sheikh Yahya Moulana Al-Yemani
Al-Abasi Nasab Wa Siddiqui Hasab of Matara. Her
motherly love for her children and others was par excellence.
Her deep devotion to her husband often kept her sedately
occupied with her pots and pans in order to turn out an unctuous
and palate-soothing dish that would satiate his tired nerves.
Devoid of any vanity she was frugal and possessed a fullness of
heart to serve others. She did not mess up her home with China
ornaments and female frivolities. She maintained a reasonably
decent abode with its bare necessities only and abhorred a
vainglorious life, being a righteous and pious lady. She spared
her husband all those vexatious cares which exhaust a mans mind.
In her company he found the cosy spot where body and soul are
relaxed, where criticism becomes praise, and blame a caress. Her
untimely demise, at the early age of 48, in 1944 caused a deep
gap in his life. He missed her much when he needed her the most.
Yet, he bore the calamity as expected of a true believer and
adapted himself admirably to the changed circumstance, to live a
further 8 years and 13 days. Many were the proposals that were
offered to him for a second marriage, yet, he opted to remain
single until his end. When he was ailing seriously he used to
call out her name in the hope that she may hear him and respond
to his overtures but had to resign to the fact that she was not
there anymore knowing that she was gone.
During
the
early years of their life, YM Naina-Marikar and his brother,
Yousoof, lost their father and came under the care and guidance
of of a close relative named Minna Marikar Lebbe Marikar who had
no issue. They were defrauded, in their young years, of the
sweet food of academic education and had to be content with
whatever they could achieve within the circumstances that they
were faced with. Thus, they were absorbed into the business of
Minna Marikar who traded in laces and embroidery of local make.
When Minna Marikar became ill and decrepit the two brothers
became the custodian of the small business and after his death
they ventured out into a business of their own which later
became one of the most famous of Moor businesses titled Zitan
Stores. It was established at No. 228, Main Street,
Pettah.
Yousoof
suffered
a road accident, being knocked down by a cyclist, and suffered a
leg injury which incapacitated and restricted the free use of
his right leg. He retired from active business and handed over
the entire management of Zitan Stores to his brother YM
Naina-Marikar. The business thrived and elevated YM to a very
high social status amongst the Muslim community in Ceylon.
Profiteering of an unscrupulous nature or taking advantage of a
dearth of utility articles and goods in the market was not his
way of life. He toiled from 8 am until 10 pm on a daily basis in
carrying out his business successfully and fruitfully. He was a
very strict disciplinarian and set a valuable example to his
colleagues and employees. He was looked upon as a fair and just
businessman and the popular name of Zitan Stores reached new
heights amongst the communities in Ceylon.
He
purchased
premises 251, 253 at Main Street, Colombo in the Pettah and
expanded his business importing a large variety of goods. His
uncanny sense of sizing the market demands was unprecedented and
un-parallelled.The ruling rates for his merchandise remained and
advertisement throughout his business career. His was, indeed, a
service purely motivated to serve the nation, primarily, and
through this honorable objective he succeeded in earning the
plaudits and praise of every customer he dealt with. He was,
primarily, a Wholesaler and secondarily an accredited retailer.
YM
was
a very philanthropic and kind gentleman who spared no pains in
alleviating the hardship and suffering of his community enjoying
distinction and honor amongst the people. He was the only Muslim
to be marked out for recognition on the occasion of the
Coronation of King George VI, for his philanthropy and public
spiritedness, as a Justice of Peace, Western Province.
The
General
Secretary of the Central YMCA, referring to Mr Naina Marikar’s
investiture, said,
“your
appointment
has given satisfaction to all those who know you, as you have
proved yourself as one of the leading public-spirited citizens
of Colombo. All those, like you, who prize the interest of the
public above their own, are surely the salt of this earth.”
The
first
Muslim Civil Servant in Ceylon, Mr AMA Azeez, commented,
“His
career
is an inspiration and a warning, particularly to those young
Muslims who think that by virtue of the years they have spent
in a secondary English School and by virtue of the little and
imperfect English education thay have acquired, a business
career does not suit their dignity or their achievements We
should be proud of Mr Naina Marikar, especially at this time
when the Muslim community is gradually losing its pre-eminent
place in the commercial and trading world of Ceylon. His
career reminds one that the days of business giants are not
over for the Muslims of Ceylon.”
“Our
lives
are not worth living if we do not make it worthwhile for
others to live, were the watchwords of Mr Naina Marikar’s
life. Succinctly summed as a ‘simple, sincere man, unspoiled
by riches’, by the first elected Mayor of Colombo, the late
Sir Ratnajothi Saravanamuttu, he will ever be an example and
inspiration not only to his community but also to the general
public, who know too well the many acts of charity he has
bestowed.”
Ceylon
in
Coronation Year May 1937, has this to say:
“As
a
philanthropist, Mr Naina Marikar has won pride of place among
people of all classes in this country. He has the rare knack
of being generous, and, by setting an excellent example,
inducing the same generous impulses in others. And, with this
bountiful benevolence towards noble and deserving causes, he
combines a personal thoughtfulness, wholly unknown nowadays,
which sheds, like his own ingratiating smile, a light on those
around. When the earnest efforts of those selfless people to
promote the welfare of our less fortunate brethren fall into
historic perspective, his name will be enshrined in the
lasting gratitude of generations to come. We are, perhaps, too
near the canvas to assess correctly his many spontaneous acts
of splendid self-sacrifice, but with the passage of time there
is no doubt that he will receive full justice and ample
appreciation at the hands of posterity. “
“His
benefactions
knew no limits of caste or creed. His purse strings remained
opened for the amelioration of the poor and needy, and the
cause of educational and social movements. His benevolence
fell as the gentle rains from Heaven, profiting man, society
and association. He was strongly of opinion that, ‘no man is
great in the eye of God’. ‘Be happy and contended’ was his
motto, and the keynote of his success was due to his powers of
initiative, breadth of vision, sporting instincts, and
practical mindedness, combined with magnitude of conception.
His gentlemanly personality, innate nobility of character,
understanding ways, simplicity, and kindly simplicity have won
him the esteem, regard, affection and confidence, not only of
his community, but everyone in the island. “
Being
and
ardent supporter of the Moors’ Sports Club, he furnished the
entire building and provided all the sports goods needed for the
opening of the new pavilion by His Excellency Sir Edward Stubbs.
Subsequently, he ceiled the entire roof too. The Hon Gen Secy,
commending his lively interest in sports in general, observed:
“If
the
other Moorish merchants would follow the example he has set,
the level of efficiency of the community would be considerably
raised. There is hardly any institution needing help that has
not benifitted by Mr Naina Marikar’s generosity, and, he can
justly claim to be one of the leading intelligent
philanthropists in the country.”
He
built
a palatial home at No. 76, Rosmead Place, Colombo 7, using only
imported Burmese Teak wood for the entire woodwork. He lived
there with his wife, Muhsina until their death.
–
extracted from an article written by NMM Bishrul Hafi in the
MICH Souvenir IV of 1977-1982 (20.2.1979)
[Major
portions of this family tree have been submitted by the kind
courtesy of NMM Bishrul Hafi in Sri Lanka]
NALEER
- NAVIRATHUL KHAIRA Wife
of
Marhoom Izzun Naleer, daughter of Marhoom U.L.M. Hasheem and
Marhooma, Sithy Hareerah, daughter-in-law of Marhoom, A.H.M.
Zahir and Marhooma Ummu Naleefa, sister of Marhooma Sithy
Faleela and Marhooma Ayshathul Noor, sister-in-law of Marhoom M
H M Zaheer and Marhoom M H M A Cader, mother of Hashim (Dubai),
Sadun Naima, Rooshana, Razia and Ajmal, mother-in-law of Shiraz
Salih, Faizal Wahid and Shuhaiba, expired. Janaza took place on
18th September 2007. 31A, Vaverset Place, Colombo
6.
6 Ahamed Hasheem
Naleer
6 [2] Saad Naeema Naleer + [1] Shiraz Salih
7
[3] Ahmed Salih
6 Rushana Nizreen Naleer + Faizal Wahid (BOI)
6 Razia Nuzhath Naleer
6 Ajmal Hamid Naleer + Shuhaiba
5 Sadun Naima Zahir
4 Naleer Abdul Hameed Muhammad
4 Ummu Mahfula Abdul Hameed Muhammad + Mohideen
HHM
4 Izzethul Hussain Naina-Marikar, CCS (passed out
first in the examination, first Muslim for overseas appointment,
Sri Lanka Ambassador in the Philippines, 1982) +
Angela
Veteran journalist and English
literature scholar M.I.M Sadie passed away last
Tuesday after almost half a century of dedicated
and highly professional though low profile
service to the print media. In deed and in words
Mr. Sadie’s career was summed up classically in
the headline of another newspaper’s tribute - If
reading maketh a man, then Mr. Sadie was proof
of it. He was a walking dictionary, encyclopedia
and a press button source of classical quotes.
An old boy of Zahira
College, Mr. Sadie who hailed from a leading
business family joined the Associated Newspapers
of Ceylon Ltd., (Lake House) and served there
for about three decades. His command of the
English language, commitment to hard work late
into the night and his rare literary knowledge
set the page for him to become the head of his
department.
He later joined the
Weekend Express newspaper group and about 10
years ago began what was to be the last long lap
of his career at Wijeya Newspapers where he
worked for the Sunday Times and the Daily
Mirror. Not for him was the fame or the
influence of bylines or other perks and
privileges.
Yet close colleagues
and friends were aware of the vital role he
played in maintaining the highest professional
and ethical standards in journalism. On July
21,at the age of 74, Mr. Sadie died as quietly
as he lived and worked. As he would have wished,
his family did not want the publicity even of an
obituary notice.
His only daughter,
Fathima Hameed - though sad and shattered over
the death of her loving and caring father –said
her strength in consolation was that he had died
on the day when Muslims believe the Holy Prophet
Mohamed was taken by God for a visit to heaven.
Fathima has faith and
hope that her father also is with God in
heaven.So be it.Goodbye Sadie and thank you for
your hard work, sincere friendship, selfless
generosity and the wonderful contribution you
made towards producing a better newspaper.
Champion of fine
English expression
NMM
Sadi Hussein
It was
saddening to read of the passing away of the old
stalwart of fine English expression in the
columns of the press, the dear Sadi(Sunday
Times, July 26, 2009).
Sadi’s health
had declined in recent months. It was noticeable
that his grasp of environment and topic were
slipping.
The major
contributing cause was his solitary existence at
an unostentatious home down Vihara Lane,
Wellawatte.
What does one
say when an old scribe goes to his reward on the
basis that he had done his best, and that he
could not have done better?
“Into a glow of red sunset,
Eyes set and chin held firm,
Sadi walked off stage and set
Life’s play over and race well run.”
