THE MAHABEER FAMILY HISTORY – FORMERLY OF MUNN ROAD, OTTAWA

 

(Mr Mahabeer Mangra and wife, Tholariah.)

(Mr Heeraman Mahabeer - 5th from right and left - seen with colleagues and pupils who made up the Bluebells House sports club at the old Jhugroo Primary School.)

By Subry Govender

One of the residents of Ottawa who emerged as a well-known teacher in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s initially lived in a house in the Munn Road sector of the then Tin Town with his large family of parents, five brothers and one sister.

He was none other than Heeraman Mahabeer, who was one of the first local lads to have qualified as a teacher.

Heeraman and his siblings first lived in a two-room rented house near their neighbours – the H A Beharees and Ismail Sayeds. Their kitchen and toilet and bathroom were outside the two-room tin shanty.

It was here in the tin shanty that Heeraman, his five brothers and one sister were born since August 1938 until July 1960. Heeraman was born on August 8 1938.

His brothers – Sulochan was born on December 27 1939; Chrispaul on October 10 1941;  Samsunder on  September 20 1944; Lallman on October 7 1948; and Ramesh on August 2 1952. Their sister, Romila, was the last born on July 10 1960.

(Mr Mahabeer Mangra, wife Tholariah and grandson, Vishal Heeraman)

Their father, Mahabeer Mangra, and mother, Tholariah, first lived in the nearby former Saks Sugar Estate. Mr Mangra worked here as an estate clerk.

The parents of Mr Mangra and his wife arrived from the North Indian state of Bihar in the 1880s to work as indentured labourers on sugar estates in and around Mount Edgecombe. 

Heeraman and all his brothers and sister attended the old Jhugroo primary school where Globe’s shopping centre is now situated.

After completing his matriculation at Verulam High School, Heeraman attended the Springfield College of Education in Ashervile in Durban. Here he qualified as a teacher after a few years.

Heeraman first taught at the old Jhugroo Primary School and thereafter at the new Jhugroo school that was built by voluntary labour.

Heeraman then taught at the St Xaviers Primary School in Oakford Priory, near Verulam.

He later served as an HOD at the Deccan Road school in Pietermaritzburg.

Heeraman became well-known in the Ottawa village because of his committed interaction as a teacher with the youth and community members.

Heeraman and the rest of the Mahabeer family moved to another house at the corner of Maharaj Road and the Main Road in the early 1960s. Their immediate neighbour was school principal and priest, Mr Krishna Maharaj. The Mahabeer’s made this move after Heeraman married Meeradevi Maharaj of Pietermaritzburg.

They, thereafter, moved back to Munn Road where they rented a house near the houses of Zadick Moonsamy family, the Duttoo family and the Gokool and Mania Dutt family.

Heeraman and his family moved to a house owned by the Dunoo Singh family in Maharaj Road when his brother, Sulochan, got married. From here they moved to Verulam when he was transferred to the St Xavier primary school in Oakford Priory. From Verulam, Heeraman moved to Pietermaritzburg where he lived here until his retirement and when he passed on in December 2006.

(Ramesh Mahabeer, youngest brother who now lives in Reservoir Hills.)

According to the youngest brother, Ramesh, who now resides in Reservoir Hills, life for the brothers and sister was tough as they had no water or electricity at that time.

Heeraman and his five brothers used to fetch water from the nearby river in large buckets. They used to carry the buckets, attached to a bamboo, on their shoulders.

“Because of the lack of electricity, Heeraman and the other brothers and sister used to study for their matriculation examinations using a paraffin lamp," said Ramesh Mahabeer.

“Even Heeraman studied under a paraffin lamp when he studied to become a teacher at the Springfield College of Education.”

All the brothers and sister also used to fetch water from the nearby Ottawa River. The mother and neighbours also washed their clothes at the river.

“The lack of running water led to my mother and other ladies to wash the family’s clothes at the river and dry them on thin reeds. Only after the clothes were dry that my mother used to carry them back to the house,” said Ramesh.

(Father Mahabeer Mangra with three of his sons - Samsunder, Sulochan and Chrispaul at their home in Ottawa.)

Their father, for his part, realising that he had to earn a living wage in order to educate his six sons and daughter, started work for the Seebrans’ Bus Company in Durban. He first worked as a bus conductor and later, after obtaining the appropriate licence, Mr Mahabeer Mangra, worked as a bus driver.

Mr Mangra used to ferry passengers from Scala Theatre in the Warwick Avenue area of Durban to Second River in Cato Manor.

“Those were trying times for my dad. He had to rent a room in Cato Manor to sleep the night because his new job as a bus driver didn’t allow him to come home every night of the week.

“He had to start work at a 4am every morning. Once a week my father used to send some cash to us through a Ottawa resident, Bouy, who lived with his family near the central trading store.  

“After being a bus driver for 22 years, my father bought a bus from the Seebrans’ to run his own business.

“But this venture ended after only a brief period when my father lost three of his right fingers while changing a tyre. My father had to spend more than five months in hospital and this affected the business.  At this time all my brothers had completed high school and none of them wanted to be bus drivers. My father had no alternative but to sell the bus back to the Seebrans.”

According to Ramesh Mahabir, their father also worked for the Development Services Board, which had its offices in Mount Vernon. He worked here for seven years before he passed on in April 1989.

He worked as a Building Inspector and he covered the areas of Ottawa, Redcliffe, New Glasscow, Hazelmere, Mount Vernon, Cottonlands, and Tubular. One of his colleagues at that was Mr Balmohan, who was a well-known employee of the DSB in that pre-democratic era.

Mr Ramesh Mahabeer recalled that because of the lack of cash at some time in their lives in Ottawa, their parents had to purchase food items on credit which was readily provided by Mr Latiff, owner of the trading store.

Their father, who was born on 1 June 1914, passed on, on 2 April 1989 at the age of 75. Their mother, who was born on 15 March 1922, passed on ten years earlier, on 21 April 1979 at the age of 57.

Mr Ramesh Mahabeer spoke about the interest in musicshown by Heeraman and the other brothers. Heeraman and his brothers formed the Hindi band, Roshee Entertainers, in 1957 with four other musicians from Verulam. They performed at functions all over the North Coast from Verulam to Stanger (now KwaDukuza) and lasted until 1963 when they had to disband after Heeraman got married and moved to Pietermaritzburg.

Goolam Latiff was the manager of the band.

“Heeraman had to step down in 1963 because he got married and moved to Pietermaritzburg. Heeraman was the main singer and musician and the band couldn’t continue without him.|”

Meanwhile, after making his mark in the teaching profession, Heeraman and his wife, Meeradevi, settled in Pietermaritzburg after he was appointed the HOD of the Deccan Road Primary School in the capital city.

(Samsunder with his wife, Saras. Sadly Saras passed on in November 2017)

One of the Mahabeer brothers, Samsunder, who worked as a senior Administrative Officer at the then Verulam Municipality, married a local girl, Saras Nunkoo. Saras lived with her family at a house at the corner of Maharaj Road and the Main Road. They settled in Verulam after their marriage. Saras had a sister named Gehaan and a brother who was known as Dhopal .

(Second brother, Sulochan)

The other Mahabeer brothers - Sulochan, who worked in the printing industry, settled in Maharaj Road after his marriage to Shunoo Devi; Chrispaul, who also worked in the printing industry, settled in Pietermaritzburg after his marriage to Geetha;  Lallman, who worked for a company as a Buyer, settled in Palmview after his marriage to Rani; and Ramesh, who worked in motor spares, settled in Reservoir Hills.  

Their sister, Romila, settled in Tongaat after her marriage to Rabbi.

(Mr Mahabeer Mangra with three of his daughters-in-law and daughter, Romila. From left to right: Sara, Geetha, Mr Mangra, daughter Romila and Shano Devi. Shano Devi, who is the widow of Sulochan, is 85-years-old. She is the only surviving daughter-in-law. She lives in Lawnhaven in Phoenix.)

According to Ramesh, the immediate Mahabeer family has now reached five generations and there are 20 grand-children and 27 great-grand-children.

Sadly, four of the Mahabeer children are now late. They are Heeraman, who passed away in December 2006; Sulochan passed away in May 1982; Chrispaul on 9 December 1991; Chrispaul’s wife, Geetha, on 14 December 2002; and Lallman in May 2001.

Samsunder’s wife, Saras, passed away in November 2017.

(Chrispaul and his wife, Geetha)

Despite the tough life in the early days in Ottawa, the Mahabeer family could never forget their lives in their former home village.

“All the residents were very close and we helped one another. We all lived like one huge family,” said Ramesh Mahabeer.

                                    

(Second brother, Sulochan, sister Romilla, and two younger brothers - Ramesh and Lallman - in a photo with visiting singers from India.)

According to Ramesh and Samsunder, some of the Mahabeer family members tried to trace their roots in Bihar by visiting India. The family has identified that their mother's father, Bhagelu Gouri, had arrived from the village of Panchdeori when he was nine-years-old. His Indenture Number was 96822 and he left the former Port of Calcutta on the ship Pongola XL11in January 1903. The ship docked at the Port of Durban on April 4 1903. He was indentured to the Mount Edgecombe Sugar Estate and completed his indenture in April 1919. He thereafter worked at Natal Estates and the Verulam Sugar Estate. 

This information about their maternal father's affiliation to the village of Panchdeori in Bihar state helped the eldest brother, Heeraman, and his family when they visited India before he passed on in December 2006.

Samsunder also visited India in 2018 with his daughter, Shivani, her husband, Sharmen, and grand-daughter, Kirthi. Sadly, during the visit his son-in-law passed away.

Ramesh Mahabeer and his family also visited India a few years ago. 

One of the grandsons and second son of Sulochan, Vickash  Mahabeer, who is a businessman, has settled at 8 Munn Road, Ottawa, where his grandfather owned a one acre land. Vickash Mahabeer inherited the share of land that was given to his father, Sulochan.

Vickash Mahabeer  started a Aluminum Windows and Doors  business at 8 Munn Road. When the place became smaller, he moved to Umdloti Industrial Park. But unfortunately at the time of looting a few years ago his factory was set alight with his motor vehicles. He was one of the business people who were affected very seriously by the rampage that engulfed Durban. 

He is now operating at the Cornubia Industrial Park under the name "Umhlanga Glass & Aluminum Windows".

Vickash Mahabeer has built a modern house at 8 Munn Road, a far cry from the days when the Mahabeer family used to live in house built of tin and wood. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com July 25 2024 Oct 20 2024

Photos provided by brothers, Ramesh and Samsunder, and Mahabeer family members.

More Photos:

(Samsunder Mahabeer with his family members when celebrating his 71st birthday in 2015)

(Mahabeer Mangra and family members)

(Mahabeer Mangra with some of his grand-children)

(Chrispaul and his family members)

Mahabeer Mangra and some of his grand-children)

(Mahabeer Mangra with his eldest grand-daughter)

(Ramesh Mahabeer - the youngest son of the Mahabeers.)

(Ramesh Mahabeer with his son Kamil, daughter Charlene and grand-daughter, Pari.)

(Ramesh Mahabeer and his wife on his 72 birthday recently on August 2 2024.)