Ibrahim Nathoo

Period: (1905-1962)

Ibrahim Nathoo was born in Nairobi on March 13, 1905. He was educated at Government Indian School, Nairobi, then in Esplanade High School, Bombay; St. Xavier’s College, Bombay; Trinity Hall, Cambridge; and Owen’s College, Victoria University, Manchester. He was a prominent freemason, holding Grand Lodge honours and District Grand Lodge Honours.

Count Ibrahim Nathoo did considerable work in civil defence during the second world war (1939-1945) and he was a member of the Indian Manpower Committee. He had been chosen by the government of Kenya to represent at the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. He was also the Director of Imperial Hotel in Uganda and Lombard Banking Ltd. in Dar-es-Salaam.

Count Ibrahim Nathoo was a member of the Advisory Committee on Asian Education, Kenya (1932-1953), the member of the Kenya Legislative Council (1944-1961), and the Minister for Public Works in the Kenya Government (1954-1961). He also attended the Kenya Constitutional Conference in London in February, 1960.

The Provincial Council of Nairobi honoured him a warm reception for his valuable services. On that occasion, Dewan Sir Eboo Pirbhai (1905-1990) said in his speech that, “Hon’ble Ibrahim had performed important works for the upliftment of the Ismailis, particularly worked brilliantly as an Administrator of the Educational Department for over last ten years.”

He was also an eminent social worker in the community. For instance, he was the Chairman of the Aga Khan Education Board, Nairobi (1937-1943), the member of the Kenya Central Education Board (1943-1945), the Administrator of the Central Council of Education for Africa, Kenya (1945-1954) and the Advisor to the Kenya Education Administrator (1954-1958). He was also appointed as an Advisor to the different social welfare agencies working in the field of Economics. He also rendered his services as the Honorary Private Secretary to Prince Aly Khan (1940-1959) and the Honorary Private Secretary to the Hazar Imam (1957-1959). Count Ibrahim Nathoo also toured with Prince Aly Khan with other Kenya leaders from Nairobi to Cairo, Alexandria, Syria, Palestine, etc. in 1944.

Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah summoned a conference of the Ismaili delegates in Cairo to review the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee upon the completion of 70 years of his Imamate. Count Ibrahim Nathoo also attended the conference. The delegates discussed mutually in the morning and met Imam Sultan Mohammed Shah at evening on March 15, 1951 in Hotel Semiramese. The Imam emphasized that the programme should be worked out on the pattern of Golden and Diamond Jubilees to improve the social and economical conditions of the Ismailis. The Imam, Mata Salamat and Prince Aly Khan invited them on next day for a lunch at Mohamedali Club and graced them with a photograph. The Imam left Cairo for France with Mata Salamat on March 17, 1951. Prince Aly Khan offered the Ismaili delegates to join him on his visit to Syria on March 18, 1951. Count Ibrahim Nathoo accepted the offer with other 11 leaders and arrived in Salamia, where he learnt much about the Syrian Ismailis.

The Imam posted him in Pakistan and appointed him directly as his advisor in May, 1962 to the Central Bodies like The Aga Khan Trust, Economic & Planning Board, Karis Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Central Education Board, etc. He was also a member of the Advisory Board of Pak-Ismailia Publication Ltd.

For the social welfare and development of the Ismaili institutions in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Count Ibrahim Nathoo arrived in Dacca on October 28, 1962. He remained busy studying various living conditions of the Ismailis in Pakistan and multifarious problems affecting the community.

In view of his long invaluable services, he was awarded the title of Alijah in 1942, Rai in 1946, Wazir in 1951 and Count in 1954.

He married to Nurbanu, the daughter of Hasham Jan Muhammad in 1926. He had a son, Ali and two daughters, Naseem and Semira.

Count Ibrahim Nathoo died in Karachi due to heart attack on November 29, 1962.

Mumtaz Ali Tajddin S. Ali is an popular Ismaili Scholar, He has written biography of ismaili heroes such as Count Ibrahim Nathoo in 101 Ismaili Heroes,

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